Project Presentation: Documenting detention camps and other detention facilities in Bosnia and Herzegovina

On 25 February 2014, the Association for Transitional Justice, Accountability and Remembrance (TJAR) and the Center for Democracy and Transitional Justice (CDTJ) organized a public presentation of the project Documenting detention camps and other detention facilities in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The press conference was attended by over 20 journalists, print and broadcast media representatives.

Zlatica Gruhonjić, president of CDTP-a

At the presentation, Prof. Zdravko Grebo emphasized the importance of documenting facts about the detention camps in the context of establishing the truths about what happened in the past. Elmina Kulašić, Executive Director of TJAR, spoke about the concept of the project; and members of the research team, Hikmet Karčić, Project Coordinator, Zlatica Gruhonjić, President of CDTJ, and Nataša Milić, researcher, presented five profiles of detention camps and other detention facilities in Bosnia and Herzegovina where civilians and a small number of prisoners of war were kept.

The project is jointly implemented by TJAR and CDTJ in cooperation with the associations of former camp detainees. The goal of the project is to document and create profiles of all of the detention camps and detention facilities. According to the associations of former Bosniak, Serb and Croat detainees, there were at least 1,200 detention camps and detention facilities in Bosnia and Herzegovina during the war. The realization and implementation of the project is based on the emphirical research in the field, statements from former camp detainees and prisoners of war, reports published by domestic and international organizations that monitor trial proceedings, media reports and thematic publications.

By the end of 2014, 150 profiles of detention camps and other detention facilities will be completed and made accessible to the public. The profiles, based on data and facts, will contain information about the establishment of the detention camps and other detention facilities, their management and staff, the number of detainees, torture, murder and disappearances, as well as official information about those convicted for war crimes committed in the detention camps.

Hikmet Karčić, project Coordinator

The research team of TJAR and CDTJ presented to the journalists 15 detention camps and other detention facilities: KP Dom Butmir , Dretelj 92 , Dretelj 93, Music School in Zenica, KP Dom in Foča, Vojno in Mostar, Škola and Kovačnica in Mehurići, Čelebići, Museum of Revolution in Jablanica, Police Station in Livno, VIZ Ljubuški, Silos in Kaćuni, Strolit in Odžak, Kasarna 27 July in Bihać, and Stadium and Furniture Salon in Bugojno.

Articles and press releases about the project were published by the following media: Federalna TV, Face TV, USK TV, Dnevni Avaz, Novo Vrijeme, Radio BIR, Radio Sarajevo, Justice Report,Vijesti.ba, Klix.ba, 24satainfo, News Agency AA, Oslobođenje, Radio HB Mostar, Index and Autonomija.