Bosnia and Herzegovina today marks the 29th anniversary of the Srebrenica massacre. This massacre is the worst in Europe since World War II.
Yesterday, the Government of Kosovo officially announced July 11 as the Day of Remembrance for the genocide in Srebrenica.
The country’s president, Vjosa Osmani, said that Srebrenica is a symbol of the constant need for justice, the importance of truth and the power of memory.
She emphasized that lasting peace is possible only when there is justice for the victims.
“Srebrenica is not just a place on the map, but a symbol of the constant need for justice, the importance of truth and the power of memory.
The horrors of that dark chapter, when over 8,000 Bosnian boys and men were brutally murdered by the genocidal regime of Milosevic, are a reminder of human cruelty.
Today, on Memorial Day in commemoration of the genocide in Srebrenica, we honor the memory of the innocent lives lost and reiterate that lasting peace is only possible when there is justice for the victims,” Osmani wrote.
The United Nations (UN) in May of this year adopted the resolution that designates July 11 as the Day of Remembrance of the Srebrenica Genocide, with the overwhelming support of the UN General Assembly.
Condemning the denial of the Srebrenica genocide, the resolution denounced the glorification of crimes against humanity, genocide and war criminals.
The adoption of the resolution was opposed mostly by Serbia and Russia.
The International Court of Justice in The Hague characterized the crime in Srebrenica as genocide in 2007. Official Belgrade and the authorities of the Serb entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Republika Srpska, deny the genocide.
In July 1995, Bosnian Serb forces killed over 8,000 Muslim men and boys in the enclave of Srebrenica, which had been designated a “safe place” by the United Nations.
Every year on July 11, the remains of those identified during the last year are buried in the memorial center of Potoçari.
