Prof. Dr. Rasim Muratović Institute for Research of Crimes against Humanity and International Law Director Elected
In accordance with the Sarajevo Canton Law on Scientific Research, the UNSA Statute and the UNSA Institute for Research of Crimes against Humanity and International Law Institute Director Procedure Rules, Prof. Dr. Rasim Muratović, scientific advisor at the Institute was elected director for the 2020-2024 the term.
The Institute’s Council elective session was held on 21 September 2020, in compliance with epidemiological measures. Prof. Dr. Muratović received the majority of votes.
In his work and development program for the next four years, Prof. Dr. Rasim Muratović emphasized the importance of strengthening the Institute's position as a full University of Sarajevo member and strengthening the Institute as a leading public scientific institution in the country and the region that deals with scientific research of crimes against peace, genocide and other serious violations of international humanitarian law.
He emphasized the importance of adequate preservation of the Institute’s archive and library fund in the future. That task can only be done by taking permanent care of the Institute staff, Archives and Library. It is known that at the beginning of the year, the Institute was evicted from the premises within the General Hospital, where it stayed for fifteen years. This was done due to the need to use that facility to form insulators. The Institute, as well as the University, has been promised funds for the permanent solution of the Institute’s accommodation on the UNSA Campus. Certainly, the accommodation of employees, a more adequate opportunity to analyze the archives and library fund is a prerequisite for the development of the institution, and a full understanding of the Government of Sarajevo Canton and fulfillment of promises given to the Institute and the University as a whole is expected. In the future, they will cooperate even more strongly with investigative and court instances and adequate possibility of analysis and preparation of materials, i.e. solving the accommodation of employees, Archives and the Library of the Institute is a precondition for quiet activities.
Prof. Dr. Rasim Muratović also pointed out that in the future the Institute will more often prepare scientific conferences, round tables, discussions and more adequately promote its employees and its publications. He will place special emphasis on the formation and availability of the Institute’s electronic library.
The importance of publishing the Institute's yearbook in Bosnian and English in the next term of office was emphasized.
Considering that field work on scientific research projects is very important for the Institute and that budget does not allocate funds, it is planned to find ways and models of stabilization of that segment of the Institute's activities. The same thing is with the financing, i.e. co-financing of the Institute’s publications, as well as their promotion.
Among other things in his work and development program, Prof. Dr. Rasim Muratović, pointed out that the basic goal of the existence and work of this scientific institution should be peace, establishment and maintenance of peace as the only alternative to everything that its opposite, namely war, crimes against people and property, suffering, expulsion, physical and mental suffering, genocide as a paradigm of crime. The message to be sent to every paper, every study, every book to be published at the Institute should be: Never again! Not as an empty phrase, but as a fierce warning based on the suffering of Sarajevo and Bosnia and Herzegovina as a whole, which warns that peace and living together have no alternative.
