Schools and Cultural Centers as De- tention Sites in the Territory of the Self-Proclaimed Republic of Srpska During the Aggression Against the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina (1992-1995)
Schools and Cultural Centers as De- tention Sites in the Territory of the Self-Proclaimed Republic of Srpska During the Aggression Against the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina (1992-1995)

Summary/Abstract: During the aggression against the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina (1992- 1995), the authorities of the self-proclaimed Republic of Srpska (RS) committed numerous crimes, including genocide against Bosniaks. In pursuit of their territorial goals, the RS political leadership established numerous camps and detention facilities, often using schools and cultural centers for this purpose. These facilities, once centers of education and culture, were transformed into sites of mass atrocities, torture, and killings of civilians. This paper explores the systematic nature, scope, and mass scale of crimes committed in these facilities, with a particular focus on the Srebrenica genocide in July 1995, as well as the crimes in Prijedor and Zvornik during 1992. The paper provides an overview of schools and cultural centers as detention sites for Bosniaks and Croats in around 25 other municipalities that came under RS control in the spring and summer of 1992. Additionally, the paper highlights how the RS treats this past inadequately and how these schools and the now mostly destroyed cultural centers, often glorify the perpetrators of these crimes, rather than commemorating the victims. The aim of this research is to contribute to the proper memorialization of these crimes and to raise awareness among present and future generations about the importance of confronting legally adjudicated and historically established facts.

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