The remains of ten victims will be buried at the Potočari Memorial Center in Srebrenica on the 31st anniversary of the genocide. The youngest victim is Senad Jusić, born in 1975. He disappeared in July 1995 in the Bratunac area, and his remains were exhumed in 2022.
The oldest victim is Ramo Dautovic, born in 1939, who disappeared in the Zvornik area. On July 11, throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina and in various countries around the world, the 31st anniversary of the worst war crime in Europe since World War II is being marked, during which, in the summer of 1995, over 8.300 Bosniaks were killed. “The mass executions were not the result of a spontaneous act. On the contrary, the genocide was consciously and meticulously planned, and it was carried out brutally. The army and police of Republika Srpska, on the orders of the political leadership of the time, committed genocide,” said Becirovic.
He added that “the genocide would not have been possible without neighboring Serbia, led at the time by Slobodan Milosevic.” “Serbia and its then-regime were held responsible because they could have prevented the genocide, but they did not. The genocide against Bosniaks took place before the eyes of the whole world. I am saying that if we do not preserve the truth about our past, we will have neither a present nor a future,” Becirovic said, among other things. In Serbia, meanwhile, Vladimir Arsenijevic, founder of the Krokodil association in Belgrade – which deals with cultural, literary and socio-political programs – was beaten this morning on the eve of a commemorative event in the Serbian capital dedicated to the 31st anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide.
His wife confirmed to Radio Free Europe that the event has been canceled. The event was organized by NGOs, foundations, artists, who aim to preserve the memory of the victims of the genocide. Meanwhile, the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, said that today is the time to show respect for the Bosniak victims of Srebrenica.
"I am doing this too. I will always do it. Unlike others, we show respect and always bow to the victims, we have an obligation, because this is how we show that we are human," he said. In Kosovo, the victims of the Srebrenica genocide were also commemorated. The ceremony was organized by the former Deputy Speaker of the Parliament, Emilija Rexhepi, who said that the genocide cannot be relativized or forgotten. The acting president, Albulena Haxhiu, declared that there can be no justice and peace without the truth. Meanwhile, the acting prime minister, Albin Kurti, said that the denial of the genocide removes the perpetrators from responsibility.
In Potocari, Bosnia, delegations from Bosnia and abroad are taking part, as well as thousands of participants in the Peace March, which for three days walks along the route along which survivors tried to escape from besieged Srebrenica. On July 9, a memorial ceremony was held in New York at the United Nations General Assembly.
Today, a day of mourning has been declared only in the entity of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. So far, 6.772 victims of the Srebrenica genocide have been buried in the Memorial Center in Potocari, while about 250 of the killed have been buried in other places, at the request of their families. Over 1.000 people from Srebrenica and the surrounding municipalities continue to be missing.
The International Court of Justice issued a verdict in 2007, in which it found that in July 1995, in Srebrenica, which was then a UN protected area, the Army of Republika Srpska committed genocide.
The same court found Serbia responsible for failing to prevent the genocide and found that it had violated its obligation to punish the perpetrators of the genocide.
Before various courts, more than 50 people have so far been sentenced to over 700 years in prison for genocide and war crimes in Srebrenica. Among those sentenced to life imprisonment were the former president of Republika Srpska, Radovan Karadzic, and the commander of the army of this entity, Ratko Mladic./REL
