Bosnia-Herzegovina: The Kitty Genovese of the Balkans

Abstract

Representative Steny H. Hoyer (Democrat-Maryland) saw a stark parallel between the indifference that Bosnia encountered from the international community and the murder of Kitty Genovese that occurred in the Kew Gardens section of Queens, New York, in 1964. Representative Hoyer said:

it was almost 30 years ago that the cries for help and screams of agony of Kitty Genovese went unheeded by her neighbors as she was brutally slain outside her home. Of the 38 people who later admitted to hearing the young woman’s pleas, not one called the police until after Kitty Genovese’s 35 minute ordeal had ended, leaving her dead.

According to the New York Times report, the murder of Kitty Genovese did not occur swiftly, but spanned more than half-an-hour. During that time, her attacker was twice interrupted by the sounds of neighbors’ voices and the flash of apartment lights. Twice, the prospect that someone would come to Kitty Genovese’s rescue caused the attacker to flee. But twice, the attacker returned when no neighbors, no police, no assistance actually materialized. Undeterred, Kitty’s murderer returned a final time to finish what he had started, finding Kitty at the back of her building where she had crawled in hopes of finding safety. Tragically, there was no hope for Kitty Genovese and there, near dozens of her own neighbors, her killer delivered the final blow.

Mr. Speaker, today Bosnia continues to struggle against the repeated assaults of Serbian and now Croatian forces just as Kitty Genovese battled against a senseless act of violence 30 years ago.¹

This country is bleeding, and there is not much room for diplomatic hesitation.

—Letter from the Bosnian president, Izetbegovic, to the UN secretary-general, Boutros Boutros-Ghali