Unspeakable savagery in former Yugoslavia - address by Assistant Secretary for International Organization Affairs John R. Bolton - Transcript

US Department of State Dispatch, August 17, 1992

The United States of America requested this unprecedented extraordinary session of the UN Human Rights Commission because, along with many others, we are appalled at the unspeakable, immoral savagery being unleashed upon the citizens of what used to be Yugoslavia. Under the UN Charter, this Commission has a critical moral responsibility to turn the spotlight of international scrutiny upon the darkness in that land. We are making use of a new mechanism to convene the Commission on an emergency basis so that it can address a human rights crisis as it unfolds.

That there are ongoing abuses of human rights in direct violation of international law is not in doubt. The deliberate targeting of civilians is a violation of one of the most basic tenets governing the conduct of war, set forth in a host of international treaties, covenants, and declarations which condemn - if not criminalize - these vicious acts. We have seen the carnage being wreaked upon the innocent civilian population of Bosnia as military forces vie for control in the name of ethnic supremacy. The neighbors of former Yugoslavia, as well as its several constituent republics, know all too well the campaign of expulsion being waged in wide swatches of territory, which has created the largest refugee crisis in Europe since the end of the Second World War. The policy which its perpetrators chillingly call "ethnic cleansing" is an abhorrent breach of international human rights standards, as well as the norms of civilized behavior.

In recent days, we have begun to receive yet even more ominous, profoundly disturbing reports of camps where people are being systematically abused, tortured, and even executed. In the name of humanity, we must now exercise every effort to ensure that the truth sets them free.

Our objectives at this session are simple and direct:

* An investigation into human rights violations in the republics of the former Yugoslavia, particularly Bosnia-Hercegovina;

* A full airing of all charges relating to abuses of human rights and violations of international law;

* We want to know who is responsible for such abuses; and

* To ensure that humanitarian organizations such as the ICRC [International Committee of the Red Cross] have immediate, unimpeded, and fully secure access to all victims of the conflict, including those held in detention.

The United States believes that the most effective way to accomplish this is to appoint a Special Rapporteur with the highest credentials for impartiality and thoroughness. This Special Rapporteur, cloaked in the mandate of this Commission and acting under the authority of the United Nations, must be granted immediate and unimpeded access by all the parties to the conflict to all individuals in the former republics of Yugoslavia - wherever they may be located - who can shed light on what is happening. After conducting an urgent first-hand investigation, he should immediately report so that we can consider further, decisive action in the United Nations as well as by the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe. I stress that we do not view such a UN investigation as supplanting the efforts of other organizations, particularly those of the International Committee of the Red Cross or the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe. A UN effort would complement and reinforce such other efforts now being made. The more light shed, the better.

The United States has submitted a draft resolution to the Human Rights Commission which we believe should be overwhelmingly endorsed by its member governments. This resolution is evidence of the uniform repulsion felt throughout the world and the joint determination that we cannot remain idle. The speed with which this commission was convened is further proof of our deep concern and commitment.

I wish to make a direct appeal to the parties in the conflict and to those who control the weapons. Nothing can come of this violence except more violence. Political gains obtained through violence can only be maintained through further violence and repression. Unquestionably, such political gains and violent territorial changes will never be recognized or sanctified by civilized persons. Any state enlarged through the bloodshed of innocent civilians is an international pariah, an outlaw state. The international community will never accept the redrawing of boundaries by force in Yugoslavia; the sooner the parties accept this fundamental fact, the sooner we can turn to peacefully resolving this crisis.

To the perpetrators of the appalling acts now alleged, I say that the international community took a vow when it realized what had been committed by Nazism in Europe during the Second World War: "Never again." The Nuremberg tribunal reaffirmed the principle of individual accountability for crimes against humanity committed in the name of national or ethnic groups. The United States is fully prepared to join with others to see that individuals guilty of violations of international law and human rights principles are held strictly accountable. We have proposed in the United Nations a "war crimes" resolution to ensure this accountability; we want to see it adopted as soon as possible.