November 9th, 2021
On the International Day Against Fascism and Antisemitism, we strongly condemn the decision by the Ministry of Internal Affairs Serbia to ban the gathering planned by the Youth Initiative for Human Rights (YIHR) Serbia, which aimed to paint over the mural of Ratko Mladić, a war criminal convicted for genocide and crimes against humanity.
We stand by the YIHR Serbia in the fight against “the long-lasting glorification of war criminals by the entire political and state apparatus, and its lack of courage and conscience to take responsibility for crimes committed in the names of the Serb people”.
By coming to Belgrade to support the removal of the mural to Ratko Mladić, we aimed to demonstrate that we stand against the glorification of war criminals and stand in solidarity with the victims. We fight for the rights to truth and justice. We fight for societies that responsibly deal with the past and reject the historical legacy derived from war crimes.
Glorification of war criminals is not an issue that concerns only Serbia – it is a regional issue. As representatives of CSOs from Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, and Serbia, we stand united in our fight for human rights, justice, and peace.
YIHR Croatia
YIHR Bosnia and Herzegovina
YIHR Kosovo
YIHR Montenegro
Association for Social History – EuroClio
Center for Peace, Non-Violence, and Human Rights Osijek
Forgotten Children of War Association
ForumZFD Serbia
The Post-Conflict Research Center Bosnia and Herzegovina