Local Justice – Zenica: Detainees Speak about Reconciliation

The project titled “Detainees – Conscience of Bosnia and Herzegovina”, which is supported by NGOs Caritas of Bishop’s Conference, CRS and USAID, gathers together detainees from all parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Under the project, 35 people, who were victims of various forms of torture, have been trained to speak about their experiences publicly.

According to Samir Pojskic, President of the Association of Detainees of Zenica municipality, the stories shared by these detainees will be featured in a documentary, trying to prove that reconciliation and living together are the only correct way forward.

“The project is aimed at establishing co-operation with individuals, who can use their influence to promote reconciliation and institutions, which can deploy their structures in order to achieve reconciliation,” Pojskic said.

During a public discussion on their wartime suffering, which was symbolically entitled “Let’s choose peace together” in Zenica, former detainees from Zepce, Bratunac and Busovaca said that they wanted to send a message on the importance of reconciliation.

“It is up to you to draw lessons and try to provide your children with peace and co-existence, which we used to have. Our generation should find the strength for reconciliation and follow this group of detainees, who have found the strength to share their stories in all those towns. You should never let the things that happened to us happen to you,” former detainee Vinko Lale said.

Mihnet Turcinovic spoke about his ten-month detention and torture he survived in detention camps in Zepce.

“Even now, I cannot understand how a human mind could come up with all those tortures, which we experienced. I could not think about anything else but my family and my wish to see them again,” Turcinovic said.

Andjelko Kvesic from Busovaca, President of the Association of Detainees of Central Bosnia, said that a doctor, who belonged to a different ethnic group than him, saved his life after he had been wounded during the war.

“I am not looking for perpetrators. My forgiveness goes to everybody. I am doing this for myself, so people would know and forgive, so we can move on and live a better life,” Kvesic said.

Dz.S.