Professor Dusko Kondor was the founder of the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in Republika Srpska and the director of NGO GARIWO School. He was also a lecturer on civil courage in Bosnia and Herzegovina. By confronting negative authoritites and always attempting to promote peace and reconciliation, Professor Kondor made a great impact in the lives of many people.
His assassination in 2007 was followed by large demonstrations around the country, and the first Dusko Kondor Award Ceremony took place on the anniversary of his death in 2008. It was established by NGO Gariwo, partly due to the growing need for affirmation on civil courage in Bosnia and Herzegovnia, and partly due to the need to create awareness of the potential that lies in the manifestation of civil courage.
The six winners of the Dusko Kondor Award for Civil Courage 2010 were:
Krstan Bijeljac - born in 1916. He was an Orthodox priest who joined the antifascist movement in 1941. He decided to stay in Sarajevo whilst it was under siege by forces of the Army of Republika Srpska, and continued to hold masses and to practice his religion at a time when all other Orthodox priests had left the city. He has been a pioneer in the protection of human rights in Bosnia and Herzegovina, defying all negative authorities and proving that multicultural life is possible.
Esad Alic - born in 1972 in Derventa. He is receiving this award posthumously because he sacrificed his life to save Asim Roso and his family. On 10 September 2008, he was sitting in a café with 36-year old Asim Roso, who during post-war demining activities, had stepped on a mine and become an invalid. Another man entered, Zoran Safin, and threw a hand grenade under the wheelchair of Asim Roso. Esad yelled to his wife: "Take care of the kids" and threw himself on the hand grenade. He saved Asim Roso and his family, but he was killed instantly.
Slobodan Pejovic - born in 1948 in Kosovo. Working as a detective investigator in the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Herceg Novi, he bravely rejected the authorities' claim to send him to the front line in Croatia in 1991, as well as disobeying their order to arrest all Muslim refugees from Bosnia and Herzegovina sheltering in Montenegro and hand them over to Radovan Karadzic's forces in BiH. After the war, he had testified against high-ranking officials of the Montenegro Ministry of Internal Affairs, who are accused for the deaths of several innocent people. He has never been afraid of talking openly and loudly about war crimes and human rights, despite threats towards him and his family.
Srdjan Aleksic - born in 1966 in Trebinje. He was a law student and a soldier in the Republika Srpska Army. He sacrificed his life to save Alen Glavovic, who was attacked on 21 January 1993. They were stopped on the street by a group of Republika Srpska slodiers, who started beating Alen Glavovic when they discovered that he was a bosniak. Srdjan Aleksic saved his friend and told him to run away, but was beaten up instead, ended in a coma and died a few days later. His father wrote in his eulogy: "He died performing his human duty".
Milomir Mile Plakalovic - born in 1952 in Sarejevo. He bravely spent every day on the streets of Sarajevo during the siege (1440 days), helping the wounded and transporting them to hospitals. He saved dozens of lives.
Amela Dudic - born in 1988 in Zenica. She had the courage to stand up publicly against sexual harassment by President of the Veterans Association of the Federation of BiH in Zenica with whom she worked. She published a video in August 2009, which clearly showed the president of the association offering her special advantages in return of sexual favours. This was not only courageous, but it also contributed in raising awareness of the vulnerable position of women in the society.
In her speech, Dr. Svetlana Broz took the opportunity to thank H.E. Jan Braathu, the Chairman of the Board for the Dusko Kondor Civil Courage Award, Mr. Uwe Kitzinger CBE, the Mayor of Sarajevo and his deputies and the NGO Gariwo team headed by Mirko Kurilic, for the financing and the realisation of this project.
Ambassador Jan Braathu made a speech at the ceremony, where he emphasized the importance of this award, as it is serving as an inspiration to everyone and indeed shows that civil courage is something which we should all aspire to. Read the speech here.