The Age of Genocide Exploring 20 th century genocides

The Origins of Genocide by Adam Jones, Ph.D. What motivated Raphael Lemkin to study what he would come to call "genocide"? What kind of human groups did Lemkin emphasize in his genocide framework, and which did he tend to downplay? Why? What are the major features, ambiguities, and controversial aspects of the 1948 UN Genocide Convention?

What causes Genocide 1.Institutions of government a.totalitarian systems 2.Context a.Possibility sharply increases when the government is involved in international or domestic wars 3.Motives a.to destroy a group that is perceived as a threat to the ruling power b.involves the destruction of those who are hated, despised, or conversely are envied or resented c.pursuit of an ideological transformation of society d.purification, or the attempt to eliminate from society perceived alien beliefs, cultures, practices, and ethic groups e.economic gain

Genocide is a process that develops in eight stages that are predictable but not unchangeable. The later stages must be preceded by the early stages, though earlier stages continue to operate throughout the process. The Eight Stages of Genocide By Gregory H. Stanton (Originally written in 1996 at the Department of State; presented at the Yale University Center for International and Area Studies in 1998)

Stages of genocide Classification Symbolization Dehumanization Organization Polarization Preparation Extermination Denial

Bosnia, Bosnia was part of the Ottoman (Turkish) Empire until 1878 and then of the Austro- Hungarian Empire until the First World War. After the war it was united with other Slav territories to form Yugoslavia, essentially ruled and run by Serbs from the Serbian capital, Belgrade. Yugoslavia disintegrated in June In 1992 in the Republic of Bosnia- Herzegovina, conflict between the three main ethnic groups, the Serbs, Croats, and Muslims, resulted in genocide committed by the Serbs against the Muslims in Bosnia.

1) Classification All cultures have categories to distinguish people into "us and them" by ethnicity, race, religion, or nationality: German and Jew, Hutu and Tutsi. Bipolar societies that lack mixed categories, such as Rwanda and Burundi, are the most likely to have genocide.

US THEM

Classification in the Bosnian Genocide Bosnian Serbs (Orthodox Christians) label –Bosniaks (Sunni Muslims), –Bosnian Croats (Roman Catholic Christians)

2) Symbolization We give names or other symbols to the classifications. We name people "Jews" or "Gypsies", or distinguish them by colors or dress; and apply them to members of groups. Classification and symbolization are universally human and do not necessarily result in genocide unless they lead to the next stage, dehumanization. When combined with hatred, symbols may be forced upon unwilling members of pariah groups.

Symbolism in the Bosnian Genocide Religious symbols used to distinguish Orthodox Christians (Serbs) from Catholic Christians and Muslims –Posing with clerics- Serb leaders (Orthodox Christians –Rosary around Bosnia- Catholic Christians –Crescent moon and star- Muslims Names were also used to distinguish between the different groups –Muslims tried to change their names to Orthodox Christian names to avoid being singled out.

3) Dehumanization One group denies the humanity of the other group. Members of it are equated with animals, vermin, insects or diseases. Dehumanization overcomes the normal human revulsion against murder.

Dehumanization in Bosnian Genocide Serbs do not think of Bosnian Muslims as individual humans but as Muslims Serbs also use –Hate speech against Muslims –State-controlled media to spread hate speech and lies

4) Organization Genocide is always organized, usually by the state, though sometimes informally (Hindu mobs led by local RSS militants) or by terrorist groups. Special army units or militias are often trained and armed. Plans are made for genocidal killings.

Organization in the Bosnian Genocide Serbian forces had control of 677 concentration camps and centers. Serbian military sieged Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia. This alone killed many. They also shelled, boomed, and pillaged cities and ran through the streets killing Muslims and Croats.

5) Polarization Extremists drive the groups apart. Hate groups broadcast polarizing propaganda. Laws may forbid intermarriage or social interaction. Extremist terrorism targets moderates, intimidating and silencing the center

Polarization in the Bosnian Genocide Both sides used propaganda. –Croatian President Franjo Kudjman used the media to make the rebels (people fighting against Serbia) rebel against and secede from Serbia. –Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic used media to advocate for Serbs and increase turmoil. Video was shown of Muslims and Croats killing and oppressing Serbs. Serbs told to rebel against Muslims because otherwise they would be killed. –Milosevic exhumed mass graves of Serbs killed by the Croatian government during WWII.

6) Preparation Victims are identified and separated out because of their ethnic or religious identity. Death lists are drawn up. Members of victim groups are forced to wear identifying symbols. They are often segregated into ghettoes, forced into concentration camps, or confined to a famine-struck region and starved.

Preparation in the Bosnian Genocide Serbs establish 677 camps and centers to keep prisoners –Tight living quarters Serbs relentlessly ran the streets and countryside killing just about everyone. –There is one account where they brought 200 prisoners to a 100 meter cliff and shot them, letting the remains fall off the cliff. Serbs had rape camps where they wanted to dilute the Muslim and Croat blood line. Siege on Sarajevo Mass graves they made of Muslim and Croat remains.

7) Extermination Extermination begins, and quickly becomes the mass killing legally called "genocide." It is "extermination" to the killers because they do not believe their victims to be fully human. When it is sponsored by the state, the armed forces often work with militias to do the killing. Sometimes the genocide results in revenge killings by groups against each other, creating the downward whirlpool-like cycle of bilateral genocide (as in Burundi).

Extermination in the Bosnian Genocide Ethnic Cleansing- the practice of removing or killing people who belong to an ethnic group that is different from the ruling group in a country or region (Merriam- Webster Dictionary) Mass killing begins in –The Bosnian referendum for independence took place on April 6, –Srebrenica Massacre, July The Serbs attempted to exterminate the Muslims of Bosnia, destroying hundreds of mosques and setting up concentration camps. The UN’s expert commission investigating war crimes issued a report at the end of This research indicates the total of people dead, injured and missing to be 200,000.

8) Denial Denial is the eighth stage that always follows a genocide. It is among the surest indicators of further genocidal massacres. The perpetrators of genocide dig up the mass graves, burn the bodies, try to cover up the evidence and intimidate the witnesses. They deny that they committed any crimes, and often blame what happened on the victims. They block investigations of the crimes, and continue to govern until driven from power by force, when they flee into exile. There they remain with impunity, unless they are captured and a tribunal is established to try them.

Denial of the Bosnian Genocide Mass graves were moved, making it very difficult to prove what happened and to identify the bodies. Some war criminals were prosecuted in The Hague but others are still at large. The decision by Republika Srpska, RS, prime minister Milorad Dodik to tell a pre-election rally in Srebrenica that genocide had never been committed there has provoked concerns over Bosnian Serb reluctance to come to terms with the past. – Muhamed Mesic, a genocide researcher with the Institute for the Research of Crime against Humanity and International Law, warned that genocide denial by a public figure had an effect on the wider community. “When the denial comes from a president of a country, or a prime minister, then it becomes a big problem because people trust these figures. As a consequence, their words are accepted by their compatriots as a truth, and not pure nonsense,” he said. There is a widely shared opinion that Western media covered the war in Bosnia in a superficial manner.

Genocide Tribunals Milosevic goes on trial in 2001 at the Hague for the following charges: Genocide, relating to the massacre in Srebrenica, Bosnia Crimes against humanity, relating to Bosnia, Croatia and Kosovo Grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions, relating to Bosnia and Croatia Violations of the laws or customs of war, relating to Bosnia, Croatia and Kosovo He dies in 2006 before his trial concludes. He was found dead in his cell from a heart attack (he had a history of heart issues). Slobodan Milosevic Radovan Karadzic, the former Supreme Commander of the Bosnian Serb Army, was extradited to The Hague 13 years after his indictment on genocide charges for allegedly organizing the 1995 massacre at Srebrenica. He has been charged with genocide, extermination, murder, inhumane acts, and other crimes committed against Bosnian Muslim, Bosnian Croat, and other non- Serb civilians in Bosnia and Herzegovina during the 1992–1995 war. His trial ended in October 2014; a verdict is expected in Ratko Mladic, accused of ordering the Srebrenica genocide, went on trial in His trial is expected to end in 2015.

The Origins of Genocide by Adam Jones, Ph.D. What motivated Raphael Lemkin to study what he would come to call "genocide"? What kind of human groups did Lemkin emphasize in his genocide framework, and which did he tend to downplay? Why? What are the major features, ambiguities, and controversial aspects of the 1948 UN Genocide Convention?

Genocide Investigators You will be divided into groups of 3-4. Each group will be assigned a case. As investigators, you need to determine whether or not your case qualifies as genocide. Task  Access your dossiers on Dragonwhap>KP & HMWK  Use the provided information to complete the chart for your case.  Some are videos, so use your headphones.  Be prepared to share your findings with the class.

In conclusion… Individually write a short report on your assigned case that addresses the following…. Does your case study align with the official definition of genocide? How well does your case study align with the 8 stages of genocide? Write a cohesive multi-paragraph response to these questions. Provide evidence from your research supporting answers to both questions.