WHO IS BOTHERED BY THE BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA HELSINKI

COMMITTEE?

FEAR OF THE TRUTH

AIM, SARAJEVO, March23, 1995 The Bosnia-Herzegovina media carried the foundation assembly of the Helsinki Committee for Protection of Human Rights with just a few, though quite specific sentences. Just as much as to make it public that this non-governmental and non-party international institution has started operation in this space too, whose fundamental aim is protection of human rights and dignity regardless of race, religion or nationality. The rest is mostly silence. This especially refers to the attitude of the state towards the foundation of the Helsinki Committee in Bosnia&Herzegovina, which has (officially) neither opposed the existence of this institution, nor, at least for the time being, expressed readiness for cooperation, acting in relation to the Committee with mild disregard. There is nothing curious about it - no authorities like to have anyone interfere with the sphere of human rights in their country, and therefore, nor do these over here, narcisstically and self-confidently believing that they are the only ones competent to determine the limits of these rights.

Contrary to the authorities, foundation of the Bosnia-Herzegovina Helsinki Committee for Human Rights met with full support of the citizens. They recognize a gleam of hope in it and a ray of light in more unbiased protection of human rights, not bothering to conceal the bitterness that until now they had noone to turn to or that they have been forced to refer to those who were deaf for their problems. It is almost touching how common citizens confide to this Committee how they were deprived of their rights to housing, employment, personal safety and security, which all, unfortunately, form part of the cruel Bosnia-Herzegovina war reality.

But, at the very beginning of its existence, when it still was not in full swing, the Committee received the first blow. From where it could have been expected - from a journal close to the ruling party, "Bosnjacki avaz", and the pen of a completely anonimous young member of the editorial staff and the party. The recipe for the attack is quite recognizable for the circumstances in the Balkans: the intention was to dicredit and slander the people who head the Committee in order to make their intellectual, human, moral credibility dubious. Terms are not carefully chosen in doing it, the only essential thing is the dilemma of the author - whether this institution on the territory held by the legal Bosnia&Herzegovina authorities was necessary at all, besides the already existing office of Tadeuzs Mazowiecki and the appointed Ombudsmen competent for human rights? "That is how our state - the author says - which has earned the reputation of a truly democratic state - become a record-holder by the number of institutions which are dealing with the protection of human rights. The problem is

• the sagacious text writer concludes - that this implies the existence of alleged jeopardy of human rights in the state which is the victim of a yet unseen aggression, which has by its democratically structured administration, practical parliamentarism and avoiding all expected revanchism, its abiding by its own laws and the Constitution, given a historical lesson on this aspect of civilization heritage to numerous foreign magnanimous people who are concerned about other people's human rights".

There is no doubt, and therefore it is unnecessary to prove that the human rights are incomparably more jeopardized and violated in the area controlled by Karadzic's supporters or in the so-called Herzeg-Bosnia, but such an idyllic picture of the situation in the parts held by the legal authorities, where allegedly "democracy, democratically structured administration, practical parliamentarism, laws and the Constitution" rule is distasteful even for a party propagandist poster. Especially because facts deny it, pointing to a lack of everything listed in the quoted pamphlet, from the ethnic purges in the enterprises, education and health institutions, illegal moving into flats and privately owned houses, to smuggling, robbing, limited freedom of movement, and bringing loyal party members who are professionally incompetent to all leading posts! Unfortunately, one could go on in this enumeration, but there is no use to do it, since every well-meaning citizen knows them all, majority of them having felt them on their own skin.

On the occasion of the attack of "Avaz" on Helsinki Committee, its President, Srdjan Dizdarevic, moderately comments:

• The greatest extremists who contemplate in the category of collectivity of a nation and a party, have an aggressive approach to any attempt of affirmation of the individual and to insisting on a consistent establishment of a legal state and democracy. "Avaz" has spoken in such a voice.

Hrvoje Horvatin was somewhat more specific in his response to the attack published in "Avaz". In the journal called "Hrvatska rijec" he says that he appreciates the efforts of the people to found the Helsinki Committee, he reminds of how jeopardized the individual and his rights are, he also reminds of the distrust of the people in the objectivity of the office of Mazowiecki and concludes that many mechanisms for protecting human rights are needed in Bosnia&Herzegovina: "Through their operation and results we shall recognize in the future both them and our Bosnia-Herzegovina Helsinki Committee. We wish that they will really do for the people what their name says, and that every jeopardized citizen may knock at their doors and ask for help. Grant God that we may never need them..."

It is an open question whether the attack against the Bosnia-Herzegovina Helsinki Committee for the Protection of Human Rights published in "Avaz" was of its own initiative or it came at the order from a certain place. But, even such as it is, it in no way wavers the people who are working in the Committee and wish to extend their activity on the entire region of Bosnia&Herzegovina, which means on the territories controlled by Karadzic and the so-called Herzeg-Bosnia too. Dizdarevic says about is:"The trust people have in us obliges us to persist, and we shall not fail them. There is a resoluteness, a decisiveness and the increasing support which is encouraging. We are aware that the process connected to the human rights will be tedious, but there will be no going back and no retreat now."

Only those who have reason to be are afraid of the truth. After all, there can be only too little rights and freedoms, never too many.

MLADEN PAUNOVIC