The editorial board of the DANI magazine in Sarajevo has selected 10 individuals who “made this country better”. One of them is Srdjan Dizdarevic (picture), the founder and President of the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in Bosnia and Herzegovina, President of the Managing Board of the Human Rights House of Sarajevo and Vice President of the International Helsinki Federation. (31-JAN-05)
Quote from the article:
“The fact that for more than a decade he has been one of the most active advocates for the disadvantaged, and the most committed representative of the civil society, indeed one of its last representatives, does not tell us anything bad about Srdjan Dizdarevic, but speaks all the worst about the caste of the (anti)war profiteers, activists in the field of spending of donations and defending their comfortable positions.
The Helsinki Committee in BH and Dizdarevic have seen off yet another year of combating for principles, a year of challenges, excommunications and refusals to accept easy compromises in a country desparely in need of brave. Speaking out whenever there was a need to do so, Dizdarevic has demonstrated how someone who purports to be a champion of human rights should act, showing immunity to cowardice and refusing to accept the imposed irons of political conformism.
Because of that, the Committee managed to keep the position that it rightfully holds, and to increase the list of its enemies, among whom Reis (Head of Islamic Community) Mustafa Ceric appeared to be the one, – as expected, considering both Ceric´s under-the-belt accusations against Dizdarevic and Dizdarevic´s activism.“
