Document Type
Article
Publication Date
Spring 4-10-2015
Keywords
Srebrenica, Serbia, denial, genocide, politicians, relativization, ICTY, European Union
Abstract
2015 will mark the twentieth anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide. However, Serbian politicians still relativize the events that have taken place and deny any relation of Serbia to the massacres. This can be explained by the fact that not much has changed in the liberalization of Serbia since the removal of Milošević: war propaganda has now made way for denial. This paper scrutinizes Serbian politicians in the Post-Milošević era and their unwillingness to deal with Serbia’s troubled past. The denial started almost immediately after the fall of Srebrenica, claiming that the massacre of over 8,000 Muslim men was an act of ‘necessity’: the Bosnian Muslims were killed out of self-defense. This thesis focuses on the dynamic nature of denial, as the direct denial has made place for relativization and denial of responsibility. However, the idea of Serb victimhood is still very much present: the denial that was a direct part of the crimes still echoes through the post-Milošević era.
Recommended Citation
Kluessien, Koen S., "A Conspiracy of Denial: Serbian Politicians and their Unwillingness to Deal with the Troubled Past of the Srebrenica Genocide" (2015). Papers of the Strassler Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies. 15.
https://commons.clarku.edu/chgspapers/15