The 10th regional school for human rights organized by Helsinki Committees in the Balkans and Norwegian Helsinki Committee was held from 28th June till 5th July 2007. This school was different than the previous schools, because it was a ´school on wheels´. During the period 30 young people, aged 17-25, from Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia and Macedonia visited concentration camps and memorial centres in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia. (10-JULY-07)

This text is taken from the Norwegian Helsinki Committee´s website. It has been republished here by Nina Luhr / HRH Foundation

They had the opportunity to talk to detainees and victims of the 1992-1995 war in order to find out more about war crimes and concentration camps such as Keraterm, Trnopolje, Omarska, Manjaca, Celebici and Foca in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Ovcara, near Vukovar in Croatia. They also visited the Memorial Centre and graveyard in Potocari- Srebrenica where genocide took place in July 1995, as well as the graveyard in Tuzla where 71 people, mostly youth, were buried after they were killed by grenades on 25th May 1995. School participants met with representatives of the organization ”Women Victims of War” and heard their testimonies about the war.

Although it was hard to listen to shocking stories from victims of war, the youth learned an important and valuable lesson, that crime has no nation, nor religion. One should never hate someone because he or she belongs to a different nation, and everyone should be responsible for what he or she did. The travelling school was a step ahead to seek the truth hidden behind what one can hear from media and politicians.

The Human Rights School on Wheels is part of an extensive project that covers Croatia, Montenegro, Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Montenegro. The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs supports it.

Contact: Enver Djuliman at djuliman@nhc.no for additional information.