Milosevic Dies without His Reward

On March 12, 2006 Slobodan Milosevic former president of the Yugoslav Federation dies in his cell at the United Nations war Tribunal in The Hague. For millions of Croats, Bosnians, Albanians, Kosovans and Serbs, this man was both hero and murderer. Indicted on 27 May 1999 for war crimes and crimes against humanity he was the master mind behind the Serbian uprising that ultimately was a result of genocide, ethnic cleansing and mass rapes. He was the first heads of states indicted for these types of crimes and his case has been held at the UN’s International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.

For the past few years he has been fighting not only his persecutors but his declining health conditions. Many across the world are expressing grave frustration that Justice was not done and a judgment was not yet rendered to the now diseased Milosevic. There is currently speculation that Milosevic committed suicide or even murdered which would cast huge embarrassment on the tribunal. The official cause of death has yet to be confirmed.

As someone who has traveled and visited the affected areas of Croatia and Bosnia Herzegovina which resulted from the mass genocide I can lend my views and feelings on the people and situation. The main place of genocide in question is the famous area of Srebrenica. There are countless video and audio clips depicting the issues involved and the turmoil surrounding the event. Seeing the mass graves and reading accounts of the people there was shocking and unreal. It was sobering to see lines after lines of graves that descended from a plea that this kind of thing never happens again to anyone anywhere. From the words of a carved stone at one of the burial sites:

“In the name of God the most merciful, the most compassionate. We pray to Almighty God, May grievance become hope! May revenge become justice! And mothers’ tears may become prayers that Srebrenica never happen again to no one anywhere!” Raisu-l-ulama, Srebrenica Prayer, Potocari, July 11, 2001

Logic screams insanity for the thick mist of sadness that permeates this place of tragedy. It seems only natural to assume that someone or group of people will be held accountable for the mass killings of men, and young boys who simply were part of a different religion than their captors. One particular grave stuck me with compassion and curiosity the flowers still fresh from some unknown guest. His name was Pitarevicn (Husejin) Adnan Peci born 1981 died 1995. At the ripe age of 13 or 14 what had this young boy done to deserve this fate? He had simply been born to the wrong parents in the wrong town, practiced the wrong religion and died a wrong death. It is utterly appalling that war (despite its necessity at times) can harness so devastating an impact as to obliterate a people as harmless and defenseless as these. So defenseless were they in fact that the Dutch Prime minister Wim Kok and his cabinet resigned after confirming reports that his Dutch army relinquished a ‘safe’ area to the Bosnian Serbs who then committed these atrocities.

For all those whose lives have been affected by this event my hope is that justice will be done. If you believe in an after life rest assured that Milosevic will receive a proper judgment that will remain with him for all time and eternity. And for all mortal time to come the voices as if crying from the graves stand as a firm testament that these acts never again take place. Humanity will win in the end!