May 16, 2012
UNITED STATES HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL MUSEUM FELLOW MICHAEL DOBBS DOCUMENTS AND COVERS TRIAL OF RATKO MLADIC IN THE HAGUE
WASHINGTON, DC — While serving as a Goldfarb Fellow with the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum’s Committee on Conscience, journalist Michael Dobbs has assembled a comprehensive resource of the evidence amassed against Bosnian Serb military leader Ratko Mladic, whose trial for orchestrating the largest massacre in Europe since World War II begins today in The Hague.
This information is hosted on the Museum’s website at ushmm.org/mladic-files, where Dobbs will post regular reports over the next few months as the trial unfolds.
The Mladic Files: An Exploration of Atrocities in the Balkans provides a multifaceted account of the case against Mladic, who has been indicted for genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes committed during the 1992–95 Balkans conflict, including the Srebrenica massacre in 1995 that led to the deaths of some 8,000 Bosnian Muslims.
The site features maps and documentation that show where massacres were carried out and the efforts of the perpetrators to hide them; annotated pieces of key prosecutorial evidence; interviews with principal participants, including victims, eyewitnesses, and prosecutors in the case; and more.
“To date, The Mladic Files has not only provided a solid foundation for understanding what can be expected as the trial unfolds but also insight into the thinking of the key players—victims, eyewitnesses, and prosecutors,” said Michael Abramowitz, Director of the Committee on Conscience, the Museum’s genocide prevention program. “This historic trial will play an important role in determining if Mladic’s actions constituted genocide. The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum is pleased that, through our fellowship program, Dobbs has been able to collate and make accessible to the media and the public some of the key evidence that otherwise might have remained buried in the court’s files.”
In addition, in the upcoming months, Dobbs will examine the core issues of the case, such as whether this genocide could have been prevented, whether prosecuting those responsible for mass atrocities helps bring justice for the victims, and whether the system of international justice that has evolved since the Holocaust is still relevant today.
Dobbs is posting his reports on the Museum’s site at ushmm.org/mladic-files and is also maintaining a blog in cooperation with Foreign Policy magazine at foreignpolicy.com.
As part of its genocide prevention efforts, the Museum has long shone a spotlight on the atrocities in the Balkans and in particular the massacre at Srebrenica. The Museum has been monitoring the arrests and trials of those accused of genocide and crimes against humanity in the region.
The Committee on Conscience, the Museum’s genocide prevention program, works to alert the national conscience, influence policy makers, and stimulate worldwide action to confront and work to halt acts of genocide and related crimes against humanity.
A living memorial to the Holocaust, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum inspires citizens and leaders worldwide to confront hatred, prevent genocide, and promote human dignity. Federal support guarantees the Museum’s permanent place on the National Mall, and its far-reaching educational programs and global impact are made possible by generous donors. For more information, visit ushmm.org.
