Multi-Ethnic Bosnian War Memorial Faces Removal

A statue commemorating war victims without religious or ethnic symbols that was erected last month in front of the Vares municipality building could be removed after the new mayor of the central Bosnian town questioned its legality.

The monument, which was erected in front of the municipality building just before local elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina, has a plaque which says: “Pay your respects in your own way.”

The newly-elected mayor, Zdravko Marosevic, from the Croatian Democratic Community party, told BIRN that although the idea for the memorial was a good one, the necessary legal procedures weren’t fulfilled.

Marosevic alleged that former mayor Avdija Kovacevic, from the Bosniak-led Party for Democratic Action, decreed that it should be erected without the consent of local war victims’ associations or the municipal council.

“It is especially bad that it should be here in front of the municipality, where you cannot get a permit for a memorial,” Marosevic said.

“When I take office, I will do everything legally, I will ask the victims’ associations, because they are the only ones who can decide. The municipal council will give also its opinion and we will ask the urban planning department to find a new location,” he added.

Kovacevic, who lost his position as municipal chief in the elections earlier this month, told BIRN that the memorial was erected to pay homage to all victims, regardless of their ethnicity.

He said it was aimed at “reintegrating the state”.

“This is one way to bring down barriers and I think it’s a good way for us to go into the future without the burden of the past,” he said.

“We must never forget – those who can forgive should forgive, but no one should forget, because when we forget, we open the doors for new crimes,” he added.

He claimed that new mayor is unhappy with the monument because it bears the symbol of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

“Everything that is for integration and is in favour of reconciliation and helps towards a better future, which breaks down entity lines, is not favoured by parts of the political establishment,” he said.

Representatives of Bosniak and Croat victims of the 1992-95 war told BIRN that they were not consulted about the construction of the memorial.

Zlatko Prkic from the Association of Former Croat Camp Detainees, said that the memorial “does not look like a memorial” and that he had heard that not all the town’s ethnic groups were happy with it.

“I think that when you honour the victims, first you have to respect legal regulations, to adopt decisions in council sessions. As far as I know, no one in the municipality knew about this memorial before construction began, except the president of the municipality,” Prkic said.

The president of a former camp detainees’ association called October 23, Muris Arapovic, told BIRN however that even though he was not consulted, he could accept the memorial as he is “in favour of living together and respecting all victims”.

“I have nothing against the memorial, only I don’t like the location… I personally do not like it, but tastes differ,” said Arapovic.

The construction of war monuments in Bosnia and Herzegovina is a hotly-disputed political issue, as local governments often refuse to allow memorials for victims of ethnic groups which constitute minorities in the area.