Ristic wrote to the ambassadors: Xhafer Deva is a proven war criminal

The director of the Museum of Genocide Victims, Dejan Ristic, sent letters today to the ambassadors of the USA, Germany, Israel and Sweden, as well as to the head of the EU Delegation in the Republic of Serbia, regarding the announcement by the Kosovo authorities regarding the renovation of the house of the notorious Nazi criminal from the Second World War, Xhafer Ibrahim Deva, located in South Mitrovica.

In his address, Ristic informed the ambassadors in more detail about the possible multiple dangerous consequences and, as he stated, the extremely irresponsible decisions of the authorities in Pristina and requested them to inform their governments, that is, the European Union, about the contents of the letter.

Also, bearing in mind the immediate knowledge at its disposal, the Museum reminds us that it was precisely the decisive, clear and exclusively historical facts-based reaction of the Museum of Genocide Victims from February 2022 that resulted in UNDP and the European Union canceling their already largely adopted decisions to finance the restoration and conservation project of war criminal Xhafer Ibrahim Deva's house.

"This once again shows that the Museum enjoys a respectable status in the international community, established solely on the basis of its long-term persistent, highly professional, scientific and objective work in the field of affirming the culture of memory of the victims of genocide committed against members of the Serbian, Jewish and Roma people in the territory of Yugoslavia during the Second World War," states Ristic's response.

Therefore, on this occasion, the Museum particularly recalls its reaction sent at the beginning of February 2022 in connection with the fact that the planned restoration and conservation works and the conversion of that building into a regional center for cultural activities of South Mitrovica, within the project called "Cultural heritage as a driving force of dialogue between communities and social cohesion", causes non-Albanian communities to suspect the sincerity of the mentioned project.

"In the worst case, this entire procedure is an attempt to base the process of reconciliation between the Albanian and other non-Albanian communities (in this case, Serbian, Roma and Jewish) on the fact that in the area of Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija as a model of harmonious, tolerant and peaceful inter-ethnic life it was chosen a person whose actions during the Second World War were anything but the driving force of dialogue between communities and their social cohesion," Ristic's letter states.

As it is added, the Museum of Genocide Victims expects the inspirers and implementers of what they say is an unprecedented case of restoration of an object linked to a war criminal in Europe, to suspend the planned activities and abandon the procedure that rightly causes public anxiety and concern.

"This is all the more so because one of the proven war criminals from this area during the Second World War is openly glorified with such a procedure. Due to the direct participation of Xhafer Ibrahim Deva in the preparation and execution of crimes in the area of the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija during the Second World War against Serbian, Roma and Jewish population, the Genocide Victims Museum considers the intention of the provisional authorities in Pristina to rebuild a house that is in direct connection with the personality of a war criminal to be at least inappropriate, especially if the same provisional authorities really care about the dialogue between the communities of Kosovska Mitrovica and their social cohesion ", stated Ristic.

He emphasized that the obvious and worryingly persistent intention of the authorities in Pristina with the goal of undisguised glorification of a notorious criminal was an unacceptable process that required public condemnation of the relevant domestic and international public, states, institutions and organizations.

"Therefore, the Museum of Genocide Victims expects the relevant states and international organizations to make timely and unequivocal announcements regarding the open revisionist, anti-civilization and undemocratic actions of the so-called provisional authorities in Pristina. Also, the Museum once again calls on the provisional authorities in Pristina to clearly announce that with their persistent support for the glorification of war criminals, they actually want to announce that the war crimes committed against Serbs, Roma, Jews and other non-Albanians in the area of Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija during the Second World War are not crimes, but a desirable form of behavior in relation to members of the people and social groups that are clearly still not wanted in that area," Ristic said.

He added that such actions were unacceptable in Europe, which still saw the wounds of the Second World War and remembered tens of millions of innocent victims of Nazism.

"Having that in mind, the Museum of Genocide Victims will continue to respond decisively and solely on the basis of scientific interpretation of historical facts to attempts to distort the past and mobilize new hatred that would bring new and terrifying suffering to the innocent in these areas," Ristic's letter states.