Idi Ezkerra Foundation

On November 6th we continued walking the Paths of Memory, and came up to Donostia, at London hotel, where we held the second conference of the program. There, we had an emotional meeting with Hajra Catic nd Hatidza Mehmedovic, two women who have suffered a lot, two simple women, but very brave, who have been the scourge of conscience for the genocide in the Balkans not to be forgotten.

The hall was full of people to listen to them. The event was introduced by Mauro Calvo, director of Idi Ezkerra Foundation. Irene Cormenzana, coordinator of the ONG SOS Balkans made a brief review, as a reminder of what happened in Srebrenica in 1995. Both organizations, SOS Balkans and Idi Ezkerra, have worked together in this project to bring to the Basque Country the testimony of these two women.

Hajra Catic and Hatidza Mehmedovic run the two major associations of victims of the slaughter in Srebrenica. Hajra is the president of Women of Srebrenica, based in Tuzla, which agrupa displaced mothers, wives and daughters of many killed men. Hatidza, is the chairwoman of Mothers of Srebrenica, based in the martyred city. In 2002, she dared to return to that place where her life was broken into a thousand pieces, and where she often has to cross her sight "with the genocides. There are many Mladic, many Karadzic, who still are free and even are in high position”.

Hajra and Hatidza lost their entire family in the massacre. Hatidza, lost her husband, her two children and any other male member of her family. Hajra suffered the murder of her husband and her son. Both have been struggling for years to find their bodies and those of thousands of missing persons, to open the mass graves, and to bring the killers in front of a Court in the Hague. Their testimony was really shocking.

"Thousands of mothers died in Srebrenica in July 1995. Our life is over. I just breath, but I’m not alive. Instead of enjoying my children growing up, I look for them in mass graves. Any happiness is over for me, "said Hatidza during the conference.

The slaughter in Srebrenica is the biggest atrocity committed in Europe since II World War. In 1995, in a few days, 8.373 men, including over 500 underaged, were killed by Serb paramilitaries led by Ratko Mladic. What happened that July 11 was something awful. The town, which had been declared "safe area" by UN was attacked by Serb paramilitaries. Dutch forces stationed there, did nothing to prevent it, and even assisted in separating women and men. The women and children were stuffed into buses and spelled to Bosnian government controlled territory. Men between 12 and 60 years were held and, within hours, systematicly massacred. Their bodies were buried in mass graves. Among them, the husband of Hajra. Many others escaped to the forest to avoid being captured, and tried to cross the lines. More than a half didn’t success. The husband and two sons of Hatidza, and also the son of Hajra, were killed in that desperate attempt.

Hatidza recalled how "my smallest son, aged 16, did not want to leave me. I asked him to go with his father and brother, and left in tears, covering his eyes not to see me. And I never see him again. " Since then, Hatidza is alone in the world. In 2002 she had the courage to return to Srebrenica, which is in Serb held territory. "My home and my memories are there" she said. She keeps some books and other objects from her children. That is all that is left from them and, with shaky voice, almost in tears, she admits that "if it were not for those things, I would almost come to believe that I never had kids, that I dreamed it. Still, many nights, they appear in my dreams and tell me that they are here, they have not gone away, but when I wake up, the dream fades, and I am alone "

The body of Hajra's husband was found in 2005. There is no trace of her son Nino. Hatidza recovered in 2007 the remains of one of her sons, but she does not know whom of them belong to. She also found in three different graves, a few bones of her husband. Hatidza clarified that "this was a common practice: they divided the bodies and created new mass graves where the remains were mixed to hinder identification. I have not been able to bury him yet and have to wait until, at least, 75% of the body is completed" So far, out of 8.373 missing people, 3.214 bodies have been identified and buried. Their bodies are at the Memorial in Potocari, a village on the outskirts of Srebrenica, where the slaughter happened. Other 3500 bags with human remains (many of them mixed) wait in Tuzla to carry out the identification.

On the hope of justice, both are very disappointed with the outcome of the Court in The Hague because “the procedures are desperately slowly, and the sentences are a jocke. Almost nothing."

The genocide in Bosnia shows how far can go the madness of the men. It is really outrageous to see how events of this nature happened in the very heart of Europe, on the threshold of the twenty-first century, and in front the indifferent eyes of the international community. The words of Hajra and Hatidza should be taken as a warning, to remain vigilant against all kinds of extremism.

Hajra and Hatidza offered another conference a few days later in the town of Eskoriatza, where they could met some Bosnian refugees who stayed there. Their words, again, shrugged the heart to all those present.

Our special thanks to Dzermina for her valuable and fantastic job as a translator, and to Sunita Idoia for her extraordinary support to take care of Hajra and Hatidza. Hvala ljepo!