** Topic: Zagreb Diary **
Response 28 of 67
** Written 1:35 PM May 19, 1992 by wamkat in gn:yugo.antiwar **
Subject: Zagreb Diary
Zagreb Diary
19 May 1992
I am sitting behind my computer and I have a serious problem with me political and human believe. People from Sarajevo and Zagreb have asked me to help to find out more about the war crimes which have been and are taking place during these wars. They have ask me to help to get money to make 50.000 qeustionaires which can be spread around the refugees asking them to report what they have seen.
My problem is that they want to have names and dates to able to bring those people to court when these wars are over. And just there lays my problem, I don't know if it is good to bring people to court, since I don't believe in jails or other punishments. I believe that people should be able to forgive each other, even when that seems to be incredible hard.
As said before some weeks before, would it have made any sense to trance my whole life those who were responsible for killing Jews (my own family) in the second world war. Should I look at every German I meet with a feeling inside that his or her father maybe killed my relatives. Should I be angry on every police agent who ever arrested me. Should I have bad feelings for every person who ever tried to hurt me.
I can't solve this problem all by myself, it is too big for me. I am afraid that the war will go on in the courtrooms, that people keep on hating each other and that within no time to whole madness will start all over again.
On the other hand war crimes have taken place, big ones, small ones, whatever, people have behaved themselves as animals (and that is the wrong word, since most animals would never do with their own species what people have been and are still doing here).
Therefore I included the letter of Ibrahim Spahic from the International Peace center in Sarajevo:
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Sarajevo 17 May fax +38-71-648016 +38-71-666455
Dear friends,
On this occasion we would like to ask you to help us in collecting all relevant information regarding war crimes and crimes against humanity what have been done within territory of the republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina during this war which is unfortunately still going on.Considering that in your country (Croatia) a great number of refugees from BiH are placed.We would like to ask you to organize interviews with some of them who were witnesses of a war crime and inform us about facts as follows:
1. Name of the witness2. Description of the crime3. Name of victim or any other information which can help in order of identification of the victim4. The facts about the persons who were involved in doing this crimes (name of the person or any other information in order to help in identification, name of the armed formation, name of the officers who ordered crime or other evidences (photo, video tape))
In order to send this information to a court
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I hope that you understand that I don't want to hurt Ibrahim and that I can understand his reaction after being under attack in Sarajevo for nearly 5 weeks now. But I hope you also understand my lack of willingness to help to put people to court.
Nevertheless it would be good to gather the facts of this war by organizing a huge campaign among the refugees from all sides and nationalities to gather the their stories. But without the aim of putting people to court. This operation would be a good task for an international peace or human right organizations, carried out by a huge number of international volunteers (since they will be more neutral then volunteers from these countries).
I was just looking at the news from Sarajevo, every day it get worst, today a humanitarian aid convoy will try to get through from Zagreb, so let's pray they make it. The people (friends) in Sarajevo need the help, try to fax them a small note if you can, people there feel more and more left alone now UNPROFOR, Red Cross and other organizations are leaving the town. Today I have gathered information for people from Germany and the UK who want to go to Sarajevo, the only practical advice I can give at this moment is that if they are able to come there, but nobody can give any guarantee that they ever will come out. We don't know yet which routes are open, we are still waiting for messages from Beograd and Split from people who have tried to get through earlier this week. Up to now they seems not to be in Sarajevo yet, so before I don't know how those trips ended I am not willing to give anybody else the hope to get through and risks their lives.
I know that that is not a decision I can take, since Ibrahim and others are waiting for people from abroad to come and give them hope, but on the other hand I want to absolute sure about the information I am giving. It is not good to send people into the war zone with half half information and above all already enough people died. I don't want to have the dead of people on my mind, who I have given wrong information. The best information I can give is that those who like to go to Sarajevo inform themselfs at the International Red Cross or any other huge international aid organization who organize convoys and try to hook on such a convoy.
It is weird saying the destruction of Sarajevo on television and at the same moment saying on the screen of my computer that the fax I have send to Ibrahim with questions about how people can go to Sarajevo getting through the telephone line. A modern war, where you still can be in contact with the people who are living in the shelters of Sarajevo if nothing is happening.
It is a pity that none of my friends here has enough money to buy themselves a satellite receiver, since in such days I would like to watch CNN and see what they have to show. I always will remember that picture of a Pershing 2 flying through the streets of Baghdad and destroying a house in the same street as the hotel from which CNN was broadcasting. It is a weird weird world.
Love and peace from zagreb
Wam :-)
tired like hell, since I haven't been sleeping last night.** End of text from gn:yugo.antiwar **