Overview

The Bosnian Genocide (1995)

It is a cloudy and gloomy day. There are children running around and having fun, unaware of the imminent dangers that lurked behind the corner. Suddenly, men carrying guns enter the town, seizing women and children. People who struggle are beaten, shot, and killed on the spot. Some people are taken and thrown into cars, where they will be taken to camps. Some women are captured, taken into houses, and raped. The town is left in ruins and the area is “purified”.” These events have a specific name, drawing its roots from Raphael Lemkin, who came up with the word “genocide.”. Genocide is the mass killing of others based on race, gender, ethnicity, religion, or country. The series of events that occurred was known as the Bosnian Genocide. The Bosnian Genocide was a terrible hate crime that should be acknowledged in order for the world to recognize genocide and prevent it from arising again.

In the early beginnings of the Bosnian Genocide, one could already see that a monstrosity was going to occur. Between the periods of WWII and the Cold War, Josip Broz Tito, a communist dictator, ruled Yugoslavia. Yugoslavia had a long history of political, economical, and cultural conflict as well as ethnic tension (Combat Genocide). After Tito’s death, the Serbs, Croats, and Bosniaks were pitted against each other which sparked nationalism in Bosnia-Herzegovina (Bosnian Genocide). These events show that nationalism was an important cause in the Bosnian Genocide because nationalism could lead to that group condemning another group. Later on in 1991, Slovenia declared independence from Yugoslavia and the Serbs waged a 10 day war on the Slovenians (combatgenocide). The targets of the “ethnic cleansing” were the Bosnian Muslims. This is important because genocides start with discrimination which is the clear case in this situation. This marks the beginning of the Bosnian Genocide.

The Bosnian Genocide highlighted the evils committed against the Muslims. The Bosnian Genocide killed 100,000 people. There were many human rights violations, such as relocation, rape, castration, concentration camps, murder, and many more (Bosnian Genocide). These violations that prove how cruel the others were to the Muslims and how they singled out the Muslims. In addition to the killings of the people, there were numerous cases of women that were raped. A survivor recalls during an interview that she was forced to remove her clothing or she would get her throat slit by two soldiers. After complying to their wishes, they proceeded to rape her (Bosnian War Crimes). This shows how the Bosnian Genocide strips the dignity away from women and is ultimately one of the most evil things one could do to another. Many more things happened during the Bosnian Genocide that highlight the evil things done to the Bosnian Muslims.

After the people recognized Bosnia as a site of genocide, overwhelming support was brought to attention. In 1994, NATO launched missiles to stop the attacks and in 1995, there was a peace treaty signed to end the conflict in Bosnia (Genocide in Bosnia). This shows how support was brought to the aid of the Muslims. Another thing brought to attention was justice for the people that were wronged in the Bosnian Genocide. Recently, Radovan Karadzic was found guilty of genocide and was sentenced to forty years. He was nicknamed the butcher of Bosnia and was found guilty of ten out of eleven charges put against him (Radovan Karadzic). This displays how there is justice that is brought upon the murderers of the Bosnian Muslims and how there are more cases that try to shine justice on the Bosnian Genocide. When people recognize a genocide, there is a sense of justice and support that gives strength to the wronged.

Ultimately, the Bosnian Genocide can be a lesson that can be learned to stop genocide from happening again. Before genocide even starts, people could be more involved and recognize signs of early genocide such as discrimination. When genocides do occur, others can be witnesses of the terrible actions that are done upon another human being. Witnessing the horrors done against the Muslims in the Bosnian Genocide can ensure that people would want to prevent it. Lastly, after a genocide, people can come together to show support for the victims and as well as bring justice to the victims and reflect on the genocide to make sure that no one will have to endure it again. Genocide is worse than war because not only does it kill people, it strips away the essence of being a human. If people can learn from the Bosnian Genocide, it will be a huge stepping stone for the rest of the world to not committing another present-day genocide.