Today, thousands are assembling in Srebrenica to honor the victims of the genocide perpetrated 30 years ago by Bosnian Serb forces, recognized as one of Europe’s gravest atrocities since World War II.
On the eve of the memorial services, numerous peace marchers who traversed over 100km in remembrance of the victims and survivors of the massacre have arrived at the Srebrenica-Potocari Memorial Center.
During the commemorations, the remains of seven victims from the massacre will be laid to rest, signifying the darkest moment of Bosnia’s inter-ethnic conflict in the 1990s.
The conflict ignited following Bosnia’s declaration of independence, a decision welcomed by Muslims and Croats but opposed by Serbs.
In the days that followed, 8,000 Muslim men and boys were killed and interred in mass graves. Approximately 100 women were also slain during the massacre, with 80 still unaccounted for.
To date, around 7,000 victims have been identified and buried, while about 1,000 remain missing.
In an attempt to conceal the crime, Bosnian Serb authorities relocated remains to secondary mass graves, which, according to experts, led to the dismemberment of many bodies by heavy machinery.
The coffins of seven recently identified genocide victims from Srebrenica are transported to the Potocari cemetery.
Decades of suffering
“We have borne the pain in our souls for 30 years,” stated Munira Subasic, president of the Mothers of Srebrenica association.
Her husband, Hilmo, and their 17-year-old son, Nermin, were among those killed in the massacre.
“Our children were murdered, innocent, in a UN-protected zone. Europe and the world stood by in silence as they were killed.”
The seven victims interred today at the memorial center included a 19-year-old male and a 67-year-old female.
Most remains are incomplete, with some identified cases consisting solely of one or two bones, as indicated by experts.
Families have spent years yearning to bury their loved ones, hoping to discover more remains.
However, Mevlida Omerovic chose not to delay any longer in laying her husband, Hasib, to rest.
He was killed at 33, likely in Petkovci, located about 60km north of Srebrenica.
Around a thousand individuals were taken there and imprisoned in a school before execution.
This site is one of five mass execution locations associated with the massacre, the only act in Bosnia’s 1992-1995 war deemed genocide by international justice bodies.
“Thirty years have passed, and I have no more reason to wait,” remarked Ms. Omerovic, 55.
She wishes to be able to visit her husband’s grave, even though only his jawbone will be in the coffin.
Visiting the graves of her two sons, Sajib and Sinan, who were killed in their early 20s during the massacre, allows Nezira Mehmedovic to feel closer to them.
“I love coming here to be with my sons. I talk to them, cry, pray, and kiss them… and it’s been like this for thirty years,” she shared, seated beside her sons’ graves.
“My heart aches for them constantly,” the 75-year-old woman expressed, tears in her eyes. “They say life goes on… But how?”
Portraits of individuals believed to have been killed during the Srebrenica genocide.
Denial by Serbs
Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic, wartime political and military figures from Bosnia, were sentenced to life in prison by an international tribunal largely for their roles in the Srebrenica genocide.
Yet, Serbian and Bosnian Serb leaders persist in rejecting the characterization of the massacre as genocide.
“The Serbs did not commit genocide in Srebrenica… it did not happen,” stated Milorad Dodik, a Bosnian Serb leader, earlier this month.
Last year, the United Nations declared an international day of remembrance for the Srebrenica genocide, despite objections from Belgrade and Bosnian Serb officials.
“July 11 is a day filled with profound sadness and sorrow,” expressed Ramiza Gurdic, whose husband Junuz and sons Mehrudin and Mustafa were victims of the massacre.
“But for me, every day feels like July 11, every night, every morning, when I wake up and realize they are gone.”
