SARAJEVO, September 25 (FENA) – The Association of Victims and Witnesses of Genocide and the Movement of Mothers of the Srebrenica and Žepa Enclaves called on the authorities in Serbia to consistently uphold the principles of respecting victims and condemning all war crimes, saying that different standards are being applied in the country’s official politics of remembrance.

In a joint statement, they said that official Belgrade points to cases of the glorification of controversial symbols, provocations and treatment of Serb victims in neighboring countries, while, in their assessment, failing to respond appropriately to the glorification of individuals convicted of war crimes in Serbia.

The associations specifically pointed to murals dedicated to Ratko Mladić and other convicted war criminals, chanting the names of war criminals at sporting events, and the appearance of individuals convicted of war crimes in the media.

They said that freedom of expression cannot be used to justify the glorification or justification of war crimes, and that a state that demands respect for international law and victims from others should apply the same principles within its own society.

“Patriotism is not measured by hatred toward others or by blindly justifying crimes committed in the name of one’s own people, but by a society’s ability to honestly and courageously confront its own past,” they said.

The Association of Victims and Witnesses of Genocide and the Movement of Mothers of the Srebrenica and Žepa Enclaves said that genuine efforts to confront the past require equal respect for all victims and a consistent approach to final verdicts in war crimes cases.