President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, issued a statement marking the 30th anniversary of the genocide in Srebrenica.
“Some events in history cast a shadow that lingers for generations. The genocide in Srebrenica is one of the darkest chapters in Europe’s collective memory. Thirty years have passed since these atrocities. Today, I want to honor the memory of the murdered Bosniak boys and men—8,300 of them—as well as those still listed as missing. By laying to rest some of the last victims of Srebrenica with dignity, I also pay respect to the mothers, wives, and daughters whose grief has not ceased, and who have carried the burden of loss for three decades,” von der Leyen stated.
She added:
“It is our duty to remember and safeguard the truth so that future generations will know exactly what happened.”
Von der Leyen emphasized that generations must be aware that during the summer of 1995, the victims were systematically executed and buried in mass graves within a UN-designated ‘safe zone’ in Srebrenica.
“A town they believed would protect them during the brutal war that ravaged Bosnia and Herzegovina. The European Union will never forget what happened in this town. We do not run from our past or our responsibility for the failure to prevent and stop the genocide. We will never allow an alternative version of history to be written,” von der Leyen concluded.
