Date: May 12, 1994
Author: Valentina Krčmar, Director, Mothers for Peace – Bedem Ljubavi (Toronto Chapter)
Addressed to: Mr. René De Grace, National Director of International Services, The Canadian Red Cross
View the Original Letter: krcmar book 2_Part118.pdf
About This Letter
In this striking letter dated May 12, 1994, Valentina Krčmar, on behalf of Mothers for Peace (Bedem Ljubavi), writes to René De Grace, the National Director of International Services for the Canadian Red Cross, urging him to address grave allegations of war crimes involving officials of the Serbian Red Cross.
Krčmar references a United Nations Security Council Report issued March 6, 1993, which she encloses with the letter, marking specific pages that implicate Serbian Red Cross officials in atrocities committed during the wars in Croatia and Bosnia.
“According to this report, issued March 6, 1993, the Serbian Red Cross officials are implicated in war crimes in the war areas of Croatia and Bosnia. I am referring to the pages Nos. 27, 35, and 63.”
Her tone is sharp, direct, and deeply moral — demanding that both the Canadian Red Cross and the International Red Cross clarify their relationship with the Serbian branch and take responsibility for investigating these allegations.
“What are the relations, if any, of the Canadian Red Cross with the Serbian Red Cross? The same goes for the International Red Cross.”
Krčmar’s questions cut to the heart of institutional integrity: Was the Canadian Red Cross aware of these alleged crimes? If not, what would they now do in response?
“In order for the Red Cross to maintain credibility, the Red Cross must first acknowledge to the world community that the alleged war criminals are working under the auspices of the Serbian Red Cross and then undertake immediate steps to rectify the situation.”
Her insistence reflects Mothers for Peace’s broader struggle against moral complacency within international institutions. To Krčmar, neutrality without accountability amounted to complicity.
This letter exemplifies her fearless activism — demanding that even humanitarian organizations confront uncomfortable truths. By pressing for public acknowledgment and corrective action, Krčmar sought to protect the moral authority of the Red Cross itself, ensuring that humanitarianism did not serve as a shield for those who violated its most sacred principles.
