Date: December 17, 1997
Author: Valentina Krčmar, Director of Public Affairs, Bedem Ljubavi – Mothers for Peace
Addressed to: The Honourable Lloyd Axworthy, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ottawa, Ontario
View the Original Letter: krcmar book 3_Part14_Part101.pdf
About This Letter
In this letter dated December 17, 1997, Valentina Krčmar, writing as Director of Public Affairs for Mothers for Peace (Bedem Ljubavi), follows up with Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Lloyd Axworthy, regarding her campaign to expose the Serbian Red Cross’s complicity in war crimes committed during the Croatian and Bosnian conflicts.
Krčmar’s tone is both diplomatic and resolute, reflecting her continued efforts to move the case beyond moral outrage into the realm of international justice. Having already received a response from Axworthy in October, she expresses gratitude for his concern but emphasizes that words alone are not enough:
“We appreciate very much your concern about the terrible events in Croatia and Bosnia, that have changed many of our lives forever.”
She informs the Minister of a significant next step — the decision to bring the case to The Hague, where she hopes the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) will formally investigate the allegations against the Serbian Red Cross.
“We have decided to bring the case about the Serbian Red Cross to The Hague, and try to convince the Hague investigators to duly investigate the allegations that were collected by the United Nations.”
Krčmar requests Axworthy’s assistance in arranging a meeting with Madam Justice Louise Arbour, the Canadian jurist then serving as Chief Prosecutor of the ICTY. Her appeal is personal and principled, grounded in the belief that truth and justice can only be served through direct testimony and evidence.
“I feel that it would be best that we personally present the case, since first, we found it; and second, perhaps our proofs and what we feel about all of this could convince Madam Justice Louise Arbour to look into this case.”
Her strongest statement arrives midway through the letter — a declaration that reframes humanitarian misconduct not as bureaucratic error, but as a crime of war:
“The misuse of the sacred emblem of the Red Cross or any other humanitarian organization should be considered a criminal offense, but in the case of the Serbian Red Cross it is, without any doubt, war crime.”
Krčmar closes with characteristic professionalism, providing her contact information and availability for the proposed meeting in early 1998. Yet beneath her formal tone lies a deep moral insistence — that symbols of mercy must never be weaponized for destruction, and that Canada, as a nation of conscience, must help ensure accountability.
This letter represents the culmination of Krčmar’s year-long campaign to expose humanitarian corruption within the Red Cross network. It bridges activism and diplomacy, blending her relentless pursuit of justice with an unwavering belief in Canada’s role as a moral leader on the world stage.
