The Liberal Democratic Party has strongly condemned any attempt to glorify Ratko Mladic, who was sentenced to life imprisonment for the genocide in Srebrenica, crimes against humanity and war crimes. In connection with this case, the PLD is calling for political responsibility to be established and for the possibility of criminal liability to also be examined.
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According to the party, honoring or justifying a person convicted of genocide cannot be justified on the grounds of political differences, national affiliation or alternative interpretations of history. The PLD stresses that when the facts have been confirmed by final rulings of international courts, there can be no talk of “another side of the story” regarding genocide.
The party describes the involvement of people holding senior state positions in such actions as particularly concerning. It is calling on the Government to immediately and publicly distance itself from the actions of the Minister of Local Self-Government and the director of the Agency for the Realization of the Rights of Communities, and to determine political responsibility. “Macedonia cannot invoke European values before Brussels while, at home, the Government remains silent when its officials participate in glorifying a person convicted of genocide,” the PLD says.
The PLD is calling on the institutions to also examine the possible criminal aspect of the case. The party refers to Article 407-a of the Criminal Code, which criminalizes, through an information system, the public denial, gross minimization, approval or justification of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes, and also provides for a prison sentence.
On this basis, the party is calling on the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Public Prosecutor’s Office, within their respective powers, to officially verify all publications, statements and actions related to the case. If the legal conditions are found to exist, the PLD is calling for the law to be applied without exception, stressing that “public office must not be a shield from the law.”
Another demand by the PLD is the creation of a comprehensive legal framework against the glorification, promotion and public affirmation of persons finally convicted of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. According to the party, the ban should also include the promotion of fascist, Nazi, totalitarian and violent ideologies that incite hatred and intolerance.
The party proposes that the rules also apply to the naming and registration of associations, foundations, clubs, organizations, public institutions, streets, squares and public events. According to the PLD, these entities should not bear names or symbols that honor persons, ideologies or crimes of this nature.
The PLD also highlights the importance of education in confronting historical revisionism. It is calling for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes to be addressed in teaching on the basis of historical and judicial facts, without denial or relativization. “A European state is not built with European slogans, but with European values. Respect for victims and condemnation of genocide are a red line. There can be no silence when those convicted of genocide are glorified. There can be no relativization of crimes. And no public office can stand above the law or exist without political responsibility,” the PLD concludes.
