Bosnia-Herzegovina: Missing relatives sought through 'Book of Belongings'

In the six weeks since the ICRC published its second'Book of Belongings', containing photographs of possessions found with mortal remains around Srebrenica, in eastern Bosnia-Herzegovina, the book has been consulted by more than 1,600 persons looking for their missing loved ones.

The publication contains 2,702 photos of clothes, jewellery and other personal effects found on the exhumed bodies of persons who disappeared when the town was overrun in July 1995. The photos relate to 473 cases of unidentified remains, and are in addition to the 1,756 photos published by the ICRC last June in a book that also related to the Srebrenica missing.

To date, 139 objects, concerning 64 cases, have been recognized in the new book. On this basis, forensic experts from the Podrinje Identification Project in Tuzla, which is part of the Missing Persons Institute, will start the procedure of identifying the remains.

The fact that the new Book of Belongings has been so widely consulted is due partly to a high-profile media campaign which was launched to coincide with its publication on 14 May. It can also be explained by the fact that the families themselves have been closely involved in determining the book's presentation. Specially trained teams, comprising personnel from the Red Cross Society of Bosnia and Herzegovina and individuals who themselves have been through the ordeal of searching for missing loved ones, guide and support people during their search.

The media campaign will last for another month in the areas around Sarajevo, Tuzla and Zenica, where many families from Srebrenica are now living. The different locations where the b ook can be viewed are announced daily on local radio and TV.

Of some 17,400 people still listed as missing by the ICRC as a result of the war in Bosnia-Herzegovina, around 7,400 are individuals who remain unaccounted for since the fall of Srebrenica.