Thousands of people from Bosnia and around the world gathered in Srebrenica to mark the 30th anniversary of a 1995 massacre, which has been acknowledged as Europe’s only genocide after the Holocaust.
Seven newly identified victims of the massacre, including two 19-year-old men, were laid to rest in a collective funeral at a vast cemetery near Srebrenica, next to the 6,750 victims already interred there.
Such funerals are held annually for the victims who are still being unearthed from dozens of mass graves around the town.
Scores of international officials and dignitaries were present in Srebrenica for the commemoration ceremonies and the funera.
Dutch Foreign Minister, Caspar Veldkamp said that he was personally touched because U.N. troops from the Netherlands were based in Srebrenica when Bosnian Serbs stormed the town.
About 1,000 victims have yet to be found from Europe’s worst atrocity since the second world war, which still haunts Bosnia and Herzegovina’s 3 million people decades later.
July 11, 1995, is the day when the killings started after Bosnian Serb fighters overran the eastern Bosnian enclave in the final months of the interethnic war in the Balkan country.
After taking control of the town that was a protected UN safe zone during the war, Bosnian Serb fighters separated Bosniak Muslim men and boys from their families and brutally executed them in just several days.
More than 8,000 Bosniak Muslim boys and men were massacred.
The bodies were then dumped in mass graves around Srebrenica which they later dug up with bulldozers, scattering the remains among other burial sites to hide the evidence of their war crimes.
Last year, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution to commemorate the Srebrenica genocide on the July 11 anniversary.
European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen issued a statement, marking the 30th anniversary of the Srebrenica massacre.
She said that it was one of the events in history that “cast a shadow that stretches across generations” and “stands among the darkest chapters in Europe’s collective history.”
“It is our duty to remember and to preserve the truth, so that future generations know exactly what happened…
“We acknowledge our past and recognise our responsibility for failing to prevent and stop the genocide. We will also never allow history to be rewritten.”
Ursula von der Leyen
She pointedly said that the bloc firmly rejects and condemns any denial, distortion, or minimisation of the Srebrenica genocide, as well as the glorification of war criminals.
He added that political leaders have a great responsibility in that regard, in particular in Bosnia and Herzegovina and across the western Balkans.
“I want to send a message to the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina: the European Union stands with you. We remain fully committed to supporting your country on its path toward EU membership.
“Your political leaders should do their part so your country can find its place at the heart of our Union, where it belongs.”
Ursula von der Leyen
Global Inaction Over Gaza Shows Little Change Since Srebrenica
Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the global failure to halt the bloodshed in Gaza shows the world has not learned the lessons of the Srebrenica genocide.
In a video message marking the 30th anniversary of the killings in Srebrenica, Erdogan noted that just as the international community had failed to act then, it was now a bystander to Israel’s atrocities in Gaza.
He said the Israeli government will be held accountable “sooner or later” for its actions.
He asserted that Türkiye rejects all statements and remarks that seek to deny the Srebrenica genocide or “glorify war criminals” in defiance of international court rulings.
Erdogan also reiterated Ankara’s continued and unconditional support for Bosnia and Herzegovina’s territorial integrity, sovereignty, and constitutional order.
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