by S.DURMANOVIC and I.GAJIC
However, as he says in the interview with Reporter, he has definitely left the Helsniki Committee for Human Rights in Bosnia-Hercegovina. The reason was the appearance of the president of the committee, Srdjan Dizdarevic, at a press conference held after the extradition of a group of Algerian nationals, suspected of terrorism, to the US. Dizdarevic did not consult other leading members of the committee before the press conference. At the press conference, Dizdarevic accused the BH authorities that they had deported the Algeiran group succumbing to the American blackmail and in violation of local laws. Kukic and Branko Todorovic, secretary general of the committee, criticized Dizdarevic's views in a press release.
"Simply, we believe that Sarajevo is a different environment and that such anti-American hysteria has not place in this country. Besides, BH has accepted some UN norms in the struggle against terrorism and therefore it must assume total responsibility," Kukic believes.
REPORTER: Have some other members of the governing board of the Helsinki Committee contributed to your assertion that the committee "participates in the fanning of anti-American hysteria"?
KUKIC: Mr. Dizdarevic spoke in public and I cannot talk about other members of the committee. But, when Mr. Dizdarevic speaks, he speaks on behalf of the committee. Therefore, everything he says in public on behalf of the committee automatically reflects on myself, Branko Todorovic, as well as on Senka Nozica and professor Milicevic and all the other members of the governing board, while we may not agree with Mr. Dizdarevic's publicly expressed views. Unfortunately, based on the events that took place during the last month or two, I am afraid that Mr. Dizdarevic is not alone in this campaign and that it is supported by some other circles in Sarajevo, above all those linked with the weekly Dani. It seems that the whole campaign is very well organized. After Branko Todorovic's and my statement, Dani took charge of the whole campaign. For example, Dani published a petition which is totally questionable and does not make sense. The petition claims that the Helsinki Committee is exposed to pressure of state institutions and some members of the governing board. Please, no one, through no media, could feel any pressure of the state institutions on the Helsinki Committee. If members of the state authorities explained publicly why they extradited members of the Algerian group, isn't that their obligation? But, no one attacked the Helsinki Committee. Secondly it is said that the committee has been exposed to pressure by some members of the governing board, which is obviously referring to Branko Todorovic and me. However, we only said that we disagree with views expressed by Mr. Dizdarevic. Now, the question is: do people from the governing board of the Helsinki Committee have the right to say what they think? Do two of us have the right to say what we think? Even if the Helsinki Committee as an organization supported the views expressed by Mr. Dizdarevic, even in that case I would have the right to disagree. Of course, all of this brings up other issues. Actually, a very transparently Bolshevik manner has taken over the committee, obviously brought by Mr. Dizdarevic from some earlier times. According to that manner, all those who disagree with you are simply enemies, whose ideas must be discredited etc. And the way they are trying to deal with us is another story. As far as I am concerned, the urgent meeting scheduled for February 15 has only one goal, to provide a setting for another attack on the two of us, to brand us as culprits and reasons for the destabilization of the committee and expel us. I will not give that pleasure to the Sarajevo socialites. There is no need for them to expel me. I leave on my own.
Nevertheless, you haven't publicly taken a stand regarding whether the extradition of the "Algerian group" involved violation of human rights, as Mr. Dizdarevic claims?
I am supposed to decide whether human rights of Algerian nationals have been violated, right? That question does not make any sense. Simply, I am supposed to take a stand and declare whether I support acts supported by organizations such as Active Islamic Youth and individuals such as Osman Brka, a proven nationalist, probably a fascist to boot. Therefore, I cannot accept such a position of the Helsinki Committee, if it defends the same views as the Active Islamic Youth.
Is your criticism of the views expressed by Mr. Dizdarevic and your resignation from the governing board of the Helsinki Committee only a logical consequence of disagreements that have been going on for a while?
It simply simmered. We've known each other for a while, so that individuals are prepared to ignore some mistakes for the sake of cohesion of the group. But, if that is repeated from one case to another, there must be a limit and one has to draw a line. This press conference regarding the "Algerian group" was the last straw and we had to speak out. Look, 300,000 citizens died in this country, 2 million were displaced, 400,000 buildings were destroyed. The men like the ones in the Algerian group came to this country in 1993. They did not come here to distribute chocolates to the citizens of Bosnia-Hercegovina, they came here to kill. And now someone demands evidence. Please, why else did they come to Bosnia? Why did not he come in 1987, why specifically in 1993?! Therefore, now there is a campaign to try to protect them using all available means, while the committee hasn't reacted to hundreds of other cases during the last year. For example, we could ask Srdjan Dizdarevic how come the lady who heads the Helsinki Committee in Serbia failed to react to the illegal extradition of Slobodan Milosevic? Based on that logic, in that case human and individual rights were also violated. Why, for example, did Mr. Dizdarevic not react after the break in into the Hercegovacka Bank, because some citizens were beaten up in that case as well? Therefore, so far, he hasn't reacted in any of similar cases, but he did decide to react to the "Algerian group" case. That in itself explains a lot.
Therefore, no trace of pressure or blackmail, which hasn't been mentioned only by Mr. Dizdarevic?
What pressure, what nonsense! I am not a man who succumbs to pressure. I fought for human and civic rights at times when that was much more dangerous than today and when lives were cheaper than beer. They could not pressure me even then, not even when they started shooting outside the house in which I lived. Of course, no Americans can do that now, through some memos. These are stories spread by various schemers who are trying to incite their anti-American campaign. Neither Mr. Todorovic nor I are people who would succumb to pressure or blackmail.
Did your and Mr. Todorovic's views receive support of any other members of the governing board?
I deliberately did not attend the last session of the governing board, because it was staged and resembled a lynching. According to the information at my disposal we are not alone and a number of members of the committee support our views and our right to express our own opinion, as well as oppose the publicly expressed views of Mr. Dizdarevic.
Is there any chance that you may return to the governing board?
The moment I left the meeting of the governing board, I said that my work on the board was over. I wanted to preempt the decision of that Sarajevo clique to expel me. I stepped out on my own. I don't want to have anything to do with such Helsinki committee. I will continue working on improvement of human and civic rights, and the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in Bosnia-Hercegovina is not the only non-governmental organization of that type in the country. At this moment, there are more than 500 similar non-governmental organizations in BH. There would be nothing unusual if tomorrow, for example, I became a member of the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in Srpska, because that organization is also active in my country, Bosnia-Hercegovina.
You mentioned a campaign organized by the Sarajevo magazine Dani. Why would they participate in a campaign against you?
From the sources I believe are reliable, and which I am not prepared to reveal at this point, I have been receiving information that explains a lot. According to these sources, the key for everything is actually in the fear of the political establishment or parts of political establishment in the Federation BH that the removal of the "Algiers group" or some other groups that will certainly follow in the coming months does not produce results that may be fateful for them. Namely, it is not sure what those who are to be taken can say under interrogation, and then it is uncertain what consequences may affect these politicians. I don't think that Srdjan Dizdarevic is consciously participating in all that, but it is possible that he was pulled into the game in a subtle way. There is no doubt that Senad Pecanin [editor-in-chief of Dani] is well informed about the reasons for attempts to prevent extraditions. He definitely knows. It is obvious that people who came from Islamic countries because of the war in BH were tightly linked with some BH politicians during the last ten years. It cannot be discounted that those links reach deeply into mafia deals and it cannot be discounted that precisely that explains their opposition to these extraditions. Naturally, since people from the political establishment who are connected with all that, with people from Islamic countries, now do not have the same influence, they were forced to switch to the least expected method. Under the guise of protection of human rights and through the Helsinki Committee they are trying to create anti-American hysteria and actually prevent not only the extradition of the "Algerian group" but also of other foreign nationals. It can already be expected that in the coming months many foreign nationals living in BH will also be extradited.
I am convinced that those circles are closely linked with people from Sarajevo magazine Dani. I have fairly reliable information and would rather not discuss it in public until it is confirmed.
Branko Todorovic has stated that it has been established that phone threats against him were made from a phone belonging to Dani. Is that true?
He saw those numbers on his mobile phone. According to what I know, he still hasn't made those phone numbers public. He reported those calls to the police in Bijeljina and the investigation conducted by the Bijeljina police is still ongoing and that is why Mr. Todorovic refrains from discussing that issue in public. However, I can confirm that I personally saw those phone numbers.
In September of last year the Helsinki Committee organized a round table discussion entitled "BH and terrorism". It made sense that all members of the committee be maximally included in that process. Three members of the governing board, by pure chance, attended that scientific gathering and concluded that they had no previous information about it. To make things worse, one of them was a vice-president of the Helsinki Committee!
Similarly, at a press conference Mr. Dizdarevic attacked the international community, above all SFOR, claiming that they were violating human and civic rights of citizens of BH. Of course, that is an important issue, but it made sense to call a meeting of the governing board and allow the governing board to collectively decide how to react. The SFOR commander in BH addressed Mr. Dizdarevic, requested a meeting with him and asked him to inform him as a part of preparation for that meeting who, when and where in SFOR violated human and civic rights of citizens of BH, so that he could take appropriate measures.
Mr. Dizdarevic never responded to that letter.
Therefore, we simply believed that all those details indicate that certain individuals have simply taken over the Helsinki Committee and that, unfortunately, some of these details indicate that the committee was taking part in a sort of fanning of anti-American hysteria. We found it necessary to distance ourselves from that, because we are convinced that there is no reason to provide fodder to those who would use such claims to draw parallels between Kabul and Sarajevo.