They Would Never Hurt A Fly
(Slavenka Drakulic)
Croatian writer was an observer at the trials of the Balkan War felons, tried at the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia in Hague. The book has a documental character however the author also includes her own thoughts and reflections about the motives of the genocide, which took place in a civilized European country on the brink of 20th century.
The author outlines portraits of 11 war felons: politicians (Slobodan Milo?evi? and his wife), generals (Radovan Karad?i?), men who forced by the difficult financial situation to enlist the army. Drakuli? tries to reconstruct their motives and choices, which inevitably lead them to Hague. Some of them, like Milo?evi? and strongly connected with him his wife, were pursuing their political goals. The others couldn?t or wouldn?t refuse the given orders as they were faced with the threat of disobeying or had no idea how to refuse those with higher ranks. The majority of them were overcome by the sense of the power over other people and urge of abusing the authority. Among the butchers there is Goran Jelisi?, whose guilt and sense of power over the inmates liberated sadistic and inhumane behaviours. Writer stresses that the crimes of genocide or rapes where quite often committed by the people, who led quiet lives before the war started. It brings the conclusion, that the evil often demonstrates itself in various situations and conditions hence we are required to be vigilant and to react to the smallest signs of discrimination or hate. The silence of the witnesses is only an approval. Drakuli? reports the behaviour of the accused in the court room, their repentance, despair and shows lack of understanding of their guilt.
The last chapter of the book is a description of the harmonious coexistence of the former enemies in the prison. They respect each other, share meals, play cards and behave like the bloody war never took place and didn?t do any harm to the Balkan nations.
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