Date: November 1994
Author: Valentina Krčmar, Director, Mothers for Peace – Bedem Ljubavi (Toronto Chapter)
Addressed to: Mr. René Deger, National Director, International Services, Canadian Red Cross
View the Original Letter: krcmar book 2_Part151_Part47-48.pdf
About This Letter
In late 1994, Valentina Krčmar, writing on behalf of Mothers for Peace (Bedem Ljubavi), sent this powerful and accusatory letter to the Canadian Red Cross, addressing its National Director of International Services, Mr. René Deger. The letter is both a moral indictment and a plea for integrity, written in response to a previous exchange concerning allegations of misconduct within the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
Krčmar begins by challenging the ICRC’s refusal to acknowledge documented violations of international humanitarian law committed by Serbian forces and, more disturbingly, by individuals allegedly within the Red Cross itself. Her tone is unwavering and urgent — she seeks to confront what she perceives as an institutional failure cloaked in bureaucracy.
“The facts that we mentioned in our letter are not allegations, as it was put in Mrs. Anderson’s response — they are facts, taken from the United Nations reports and could be verified any time.”
She accuses the organization of moral paralysis, condemning its tendency to issue statements of “vigorous condemnation” while failing to act on evidence of crimes. Her words are searing:
“Although the President of the ICRC has repeatedly condemned these violations of international humanitarian laws, he did nothing to stop the violations and save people… What have you really done, except for the ‘vigorous condemnations of the atrocities’?”
Krčmar draws attention to reports implicating members of the Serbian Red Cross in wartime abuses, questioning whether the organization’s insistence on confidentiality serves to shield perpetrators rather than protect victims:
“You know very well that some of the so-called ‘humanitarians’ are war criminals on the list of war criminals. Aren’t you willingly exposing people to death and torture if you do not expose the criminals who are in the ranks of the ICRC?”
She warns that silence and secrecy could render the Red Cross complicit:
“The duplicity of your position in exposing the victims to the criminals with your explicit knowledge could be construed as a criminal act.”
The letter concludes with a deeply emotional appeal — a mixture of disappointment, resolve, and moral conviction. Krčmar implores the organization to change its course before its reputation and humanitarian mandate are irreparably damaged:
“The Canadian Red Cross should have taken the path of truth — not an easy path, we admit — but the one that would have saved those who begged for the helping hand of an organization that should have known that saving criminals within its ranks means exposing those in need to even greater danger.”
Valentina Krčmar’s letter is one of the most forceful condemnations in her entire body of correspondence. It reflects her unwavering demand for accountability from even the most revered institutions, emphasizing that neutrality must never come at the expense of justice or humanity.
