9 JANUARY – THE PATH TO GENOCIDE: EXHIBITION AND BOOK PROMOTION IN BIHAĆ

An exhibition of the Archives of the Federation titled “9 JANUARY – THE PATH TO GENOCIDE” and the promotion of the book “The Creation of Republika Srpska: From Regionalisation to Strategic Goals (1991–1992)” will be held at the City Gallery in Bihać on Friday, 9 January 2026, starting at 2:00 p.m. The publishers of the book are the Institute for Research of Crimes Against Humanity and International Law of the University of Sarajevo and the Institute of History of the University of Sarajevo.

The authors of the exhibition and the book are Dr. Muamer Džananović, Director of the Institute for Research of Crimes Against Humanity and International Law; Dr. Jasmin Medić, Senior Research Associate at the Institute of History; and Dr. Hikmet Karčić, Research Associate at the Institute for Research of Crimes Against Humanity and International Law.

The event is organised by the Government of Una-Sana Canton, the Una-Sana Canton Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport, the Una-Sana Canton Archives, the Archives of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the Institute for Research of Crimes Against Humanity and International Law of the University of Sarajevo.

9 January, which is marked in the Bosnia and Herzegovina entity of Republika Srpska as the Day of Republika Srpska, continues to be observed despite the fact that the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina has on several occasions ruled that this holiday is unconstitutional. Amendments to the Criminal Code of Bosnia and Herzegovina, imposed in July 2023 by the High Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina, stipulate that any official or responsible person involved in organising or carrying out the observance of the unconstitutional Day of Republika Srpska may be held criminally liable for failing to respect the decisions of the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The prescribed penalty includes imprisonment ranging from six months to five years, as well as a ban on holding public office.

The exhibition and the book represent a scientifically grounded response to attempts at historical revisionism, denial, and relativisation of crimes, based on archival materials, court judgments, and relevant primary sources. Through an analysis of political, institutional, and strategic processes from the period 1991–1992, the circumstances surrounding the proclamation of the “Serb Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina,” later “Republika Srpska,” are examined, along with their direct connection to policies that led to mass crimes and genocide against Bosniaks in Bosnia and Herzegovina during the 1990s.

The exhibition and book promotion aim to contribute to the culture of remembrance, historical responsibility, and the protection of scientific and legal truth in the public sphere.