Last month, the Post Conflict Research Center and Sarajevo Memorial Center organized the inaugural International Youth School Prijedor in May 2024. The school included a visit to the Tomašica mass grave, an international conference on the use of detention camps, and participation in the White Armband Day memorial walk.
During the War in BiH, places of everyday life suddenly turned into epicenters of the most horrendous crimes imaginable. Schools and factories were transformed into campsites that were used to detain the civilian population and inflict collective trauma. The infamous camps in the Keraterm tile factory and the local school in Trnopolje offer insightful examples for analyzing the Bosnian Serb camp system during the war.
According to available data, there were 657 detention camps and centers in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) during the 1992-1995 war in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Men, women, and children were imprisoned and subjected to various forms of torture, many of whom did not survive.
The International Youth School “Prijedor24” brought together 20 young people from Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), Europe, and around the world. The aim was to allow students to learn about BiH’s past based on court-established facts. Moreover, students were encouraged to develop a commitment to building a culture of remembrance, advocating for justice, and fostering reconciliation.
The platform “Youth for Reconciliation” was recently formed with the goal to overcome prejudices and create a space for young people to express their opinions and contribute to the development of community while simultaneously gaining respect and appreciation.
A hundred years have passed since the first bullets were fired near the Latin Bridge. The century-long period saw numerous pits and canyons—and unmarked graves. In them, hundreds of thousands are “resting in peace”. They have names of mothers, wives, daughters, sisters, and brothers—but still, they remain unknown.