Virtualna sjećanja

The project "Virtual memories: The fight against institutional resistance to inclusive memorialization" was created as a response to the deep divisions in the culture of memory in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the growing resistance of institutions to the objective and inclusive marking of places of suffering.

More than three decades after the war, Bosnia and Herzegovina still does not have an adopted state strategy for transitional justice or a systematic, fair and inclusive approach to memorialization. Instead of a common and fact-based confrontation with the past, processes of remembrance are often left to political interests and local authorities, resulting in selective commemoration of victims, denial of war crimes and growing historical revisionism. In such an environment, the preservation of judicially determined facts and the creation of a space for dignified memory represent an important contribution to the construction of lasting peace and social trust.

Documenting facts and combating misinformation about war events are key pillars of the work of the Balkan Research Network of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BIRN BiH), and this project, which is implemented in partnership with the organization Pro Peace, represents a step forward in the digitalization of memory and education. to the public.

The main goal of the project is to strengthen the responsibility of institutions and the engagement of citizens in creating a safe environment for civil society and independent media, with a special focus on:
- Documenting unmarked places of suffering: mapping and digital presentation of locations that were places of detention, torture or murder, and which today do not have an adequate memorial;
- The fight against revisionism: opposing the denial of judicially established facts through the provision of verified information and testimony of victims;
- Inclusive memorialization: promoting an approach to remembrance that includes the voices of all victims, regardless of their ethnic or religious affiliation.

Inspired by the need to overcome physical and political blockages in erecting monuments, the project uses modern technologies to make the memory permanent in the digital space:
- Digital map of memory: interactive display of locations of camps and places of suffering throughout BiH, with detailed descriptions based on court judgments and archival material. The interactive display is based on Augmented Reality (AR) technology;
- Multimedia contents: video testimonies of survivors, photos and documents that provide context about the events of the period 1992-1995. year;
- Analytical texts: a series of research stories that deeply analyze the institutional resistance to the construction of monuments and the politicization of the culture of memory;
- Data on mass graves: through the Memorandum of Cooperation (MoU), signed with the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP), the platform contains data on mass graves throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina, including the number of exhumed and identified persons at each location. This component represents a particularly significant segment of the project because numerous mass graves are still unmarked, despite the fact that the Law on Missing Persons of Bosnia and Herzegovina provides for their marking and protection.

In Bosnia and Herzegovina, there are more than a hundred places of suffering that, even three decades after the war, are not adequately marked or are under the control of local authorities that do not allow their memorialization. At the same time, numerous locations of mass graves remain unmarked and without public recognition of their significance for the families of the missing and the wider community.

"Virtual memories" serve as a digital monument that cannot be removed, destroyed or banned, ensuring that the memory of the victims remains preserved for future generations, researchers and young people who learn about these events in a divided education system. Through a combination of technology, investigative journalism, judicially established facts and data on missing persons, the project contributes to the creation of a more inclusive culture of memory and countering crime denial and historical revisionism.