It is high time to recognise 11 July as an official International Day of Remembrance of the victims of the Srebrenica Genocide, said the Council of Europe’s Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatovic.
The massacre occurred over around a month in July 1995, and Serbs killed more than 8,000 Bosniak men and boys in and around Srebrenica. As well as being considered a massacre, it is also known as a genocide and an act of ethnic cleansing.
“The Srebrenica genocide, in which 8,372 Bosniaks, mainly men and boys, were brutally killed, remains a dark chapter in Europe’s collective history. That genocide was committed in Srebrenica is not a matter of opinion, it is a historical fact, legally established by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, the International Court of Justice, and domestic courts,” said Mijatovic.
She also tackled the issue of genocide denial perpetrated by Serbia. Since the massacre took place, it has been denied in various forms by members of government and civil society, including that there was any crime at all, the number of victims, their civilian status, and even that a verdict of genocide exists.
“Regrettably, many people are unaware of the genocide and some even deny it. This is an insult to the victims and a serious threat to justice and peace in the region. This culture of genocide denial must be eradicated,” Mijatovic added.
She said that political leaders in the region have the responsibility to stop the current downward spiral of denial and instead promote a culture of truth, empathy and reconciliation. “Education about the genocide and preserving the memory of the victims is also critically important,” she said.
She continued that the Mothers of Srebrenica have kept the memory of their loved ones alive and demanded justice for 28 years, and, in 2019, called on the Council of Europe’s human rights body and the UN to establish an official international day of remembrance, Mijatovic added.
She said it is time for the international community to stop looking the other way and establish a day of remembrance to show that they stand on the side of truth and with the victims.
“This is the minimum we can and should do to respect the dignity of victims and survivors and prevent them from being forgotten,” she said.
Over the weekend, hundreds of people gathered in Sarajevo to pay tribute to the massacre’s victims. They gathered around a convoy of 30 coffins which passed through the city on their way to be buried after being found earlier this year in a mass grave discovery.
Meanwhile, the journey for justice continues to be full of obstacles. In the last year, there has been just one indictment in Bosnia for crimes related to the massacre, and the subject cannot be brought to trial as he lives in Serbia.
Miomir Jasikova, a wartime commander in the military police of the Bosnian Serb Army, was charged with genocide for his role in the massacre.
(Alice Taylor | EURACTIV.com)
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