Several thousand participants have begun the approximately 100-kilometer Peace March from Nezuk, near Tuzla, to Srebrenica, paying tribute to the victims of the 1995 genocide committed in the United Nations-designated safe area.
Over the next three days, participants will follow the same routes taken by the people of Srebrenica in July 1995 as they attempted to reach free territory in Tuzla or Kladanj.
The march is expected to arrive in Potočari on the evening of July 10, with participants attending the anniversary commemoration and the collective burial ceremony at the Srebrenica Memorial Center cemetery on July 11.
The Peace March has been organized annually since 2005, with participation growing each year. Its purpose is to preserve and strengthen the culture of remembrance for the genocide committed against Bosniaks in Srebrenica.
This year, the remains of 10 genocide victims will be laid to rest at the Srebrenica Memorial Center in Potočari.
The youngest victim is Senad Jusić, born in 1975, who disappeared in July 1995 in the Bratunac area. His remains were exhumed in 2022.
The oldest victim is Ramo Dautović, born in 1939, who disappeared in the Zvornik area.
To date, 6,772 victims of the Srebrenica genocide have been buried at the Memorial Center in Potočari, while around 250 others have been laid to rest elsewhere at the request of their families. More than 1,000 people from Srebrenica and the surrounding municipalities are still listed as missing.
In July 1995, forces of the Army of Republika Srpska killed more than 8,300 Bosniaks in and around Srebrenica.
In 2007, the International Court of Justice ruled that genocide had been committed in Srebrenica in July 1995. The court also found that Serbia had failed to prevent the genocide and had violated its obligation to punish those responsible.
To date, more than 50 individuals have been convicted by various courts and sentenced to approximately 700 years in prison for genocide and war crimes committed in Srebrenica.
Among those sentenced to life imprisonment are former Republika Srpska President Radovan Karadžić and the entity’s former Army commander Ratko Mladić.
