“Never Forget Srebrenica / 11 July 1995”
26 years has passed since Europe was shaken by the genocide of more than 8000 muslim boys and men in the Bosnian city of Srebrenica, at the hands of Bosnian Serb troops during an operation of ethnic cleansing, witnessed by UN peacekeeping troops who failed resoundingly in their protection mission.
Since then, limited justice has been rendered by international tribunals, and the repeated denial by several government officials of what happened reminds us of the still pressing need for the international community to support efforts to obtain truth, justice and reparation for victims and survivors.
In the midst of the conflict in the Balkans during the 1990’s, the small city of Srebrenica, in Eastern Bosnia, was established as a “safe area” by the UN for civilians fleeing fights between Bosnian government and separatist Serb forces, during the breakup of Yugoslavia.
On 11 July 1995, Serb forces attacked Srebrenica lead by Bosnian Serb General Ratko Mladić, conducting a ten-day operation to take over Srebrenica and subject it to ethnic cleansing. More than 8000 people were killed, mainly Bosnian muslim boys and men.
The reality of the genocide in Srebrenica was officially recognized in 2007 in a judgment delivered by the International Court of Justice. But countless Srebrenica survivors remain awaiting truth and justice. On 11 July each year, newly identified remains are buried at the Srebrenica memorial cemetery at Potočari.
Organisations like Mothers of Srebrenica or movements like Women in Black advocate to continue the search for the missing persons and to identify those who were involved in and responsible for the massacre and bring them before local and international courts.
Yet, the government of Bosnia & Herzegovina still lacks resources and a comprehensive strategy to investigate and prosecute those responsible for the crimes committed.
Moreover, the communities are still deeply divided, and both the governments of Serbia and Republika Srpska continue to deny the reality of what happened at Srebrenica.
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