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Truth and reconciliation in post-conflict society as a basis for the future

Visit by students from Norway

Visit by students from the Noha Faculty

RDC’s Research Support Programme

Dear friends,

The Research and Documentation Center ( RDC ) was established in April 2004 to continue the decade - long tradition of the War Crimes Commission established by the Presidency of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina on April 28, 1992. RDC is an independent, nongovernmental, non - profit, professional and non - partisan institution. Our main task is to investigate and gather facts, documents and data on genocide, war crimes and human rights violations, regardless of the ethnic, political, religious, social, or racial affiliation of the victims.

Our members are independent intellectuals and professionals from different fields of interest. Most of the experts engaged in the Center's activities work on a volunteer basis.

Our most valuable sources are facts gathered in the field, often statements submitted directly by witnesses. We believe that this is the only way to preserve historical memory and face with the recent tragic past in a dignified manner. We believe it is of utmost importance that our research is free from political pressure or influence.

In the past twelve years, we have gathered millions of pages of various documents, predominantly statements of surviving victims and eyewitnesses. We have registered more than 350.000 war victims out of which around (until now) 96.000 are killed and missing persons for whom we have proper names. In addition, we have over 50.000 photo - negatives and over 3500 hours of video recordings. We have registered the locations of over 440 prisons and concentration camps, 320 mass graves and 900 incidents of mass killing where civilians were the predominant victims.

In addition, we have gathered data about the devastation of cultural heritage and sacral complexes, as well as other protected civil structures. According to the results of our investigations 917 sacral complexes belonging to the Islamic Community were totally destroyed, while 731 were lightly or heavily damaged; 311 structures of Catholic Community were destroyed or damaged, as well as 34 belonging to the Orthodox Community and 7 to Jewish Community; 850 villages were totally destroyed; 214 attacks against hospitals and other health facilities were registered as well as 132 attacks against other cultural and educational facilities ( libraries, schools, universities.). The above - mentioned structures were the targeted with the intent to destroy any trace of our centuries long multiethnic cultural and religious tradition, coexistence and respect for differences of the Bosnian society.

All of our documents ( witness statements, photo and video material, etc. ) have been at the disposal of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in the Hague ( ICTY ) as well as to the Bosnian courts, NGOs, scientific institutions and the media. We are also trying to develop relationships with different governmental, non - governmental and scientific institutions and individuals all over the world in order to exchange knowledge, data and information.

We are aware that the search for truth and justice in Bosnia and Herzegovina in the next few years is an important precondition for confidence building, reconciliation and long - lasting peace. There are a lot of facts and stories that should be heard and recorded. I am inviting you to collaborate with the RDC and bring us any information you have in connection with the crimes committed during war in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Victims were not defeated only because they were killed, humiliated, raped, imprisoned, or forced to leave their homes. The first sign of victim's final defeat, and in that context, a criminal's victory, is the silence about their suffering. Do not allow anyone to keep you silent.

We invite you to cooperate with the RDC and to help us in the process of gathering facts and documents to achieve our main goals. It will be your best contribution to achieve justice for perpetrators, provide satisfaction to the victim's families and fulfill a moral obligation to all those killed or missing.

Mirsad Tokaca, President of RDC