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MUSLIMS IN BOSNIA have today marked the 25th anniversary of the Srebrenica massacre, the worst atrocity on European soil since World War II.
Many mourners braved the tighter restrictions put in place to stem the spread of Covid-19 to attend the commemorations which culminated in a ceremony laying to rest the remains of nine victims identified over the past year.
On July 11, 1995, after capturing Srebrenica, Serb forces killed more than 8,000 Muslim men and boys in a few days.
Sehad Hasanovic (27) was one of around 3,000 relatives of the victims who attended the commemorations in spite of the virus.
He lost his father, Semso, in the incident. He said he “left to go into the forest and never returned. Only a few bones have been found.”
Semso was killed when Bosnian Serb troops led by Ratko Mladic entered the Srebrenica enclave before systematically massacring Bosnian men and adolescents.
“The husbands of my four sisters were killed,” said Ifeta Hasanovic (48) whose husband Hasib was one of the nine victims whose remains have been identified since July 2019.
The nine victims were buried in the cemetery of the Genocide Memorial in Potocari, a village near Srebrenica where the base of the UN protection force was located.
The Minister for Foreign Affairs and Defence, Simon Coveney, today said it is important for Irish people to “remember this event for what it was: an appalling act of genocide”.
“As Ireland prepares to take up its seat for a two-year term on the UN Security Council next January, the memories of what occurred in Srebrenica will be a driving force for our membership,” he said in a statement.
“Mindful of the lessons of those appalling days, Ireland and its representatives will work to ensure such atrocities can never occur again and to be an effective voice for equality, justice, and respect for human rights on the council.”
Ireland last month won a seat on the UN Security Council for the period of 2021-2022.
Genocide label
The incident – labelled as genocide by two international courts – came at the end of a 1992-1995 war between Bosnia’s Croats, Muslims and Serbs that claimed some 100,000 lives.
So far, the remains of nearly 6,900 victims have been found and identified from more than 80 mass graves.
Bosnian Serb wartime military chief general Ratko Mladic, still revered as a hero by many Serbs, was sentenced to life in prison by a UN court in 2017 over war crimes including the Srebrenica genocide. He is awaiting the decision on his appeal.
Radovan Karadzic, a Bosnian Serb wartime political leader, was also sentenced to life in prison in The Hague.
The Srebrenica massacre is the only episode of the Bosnian conflict to be described as genocide by the international community.
And while for Bosnian Muslims recognising the scale of the atrocity is a necessity for lasting peace, for most Serbs – leaders and laypeople in both Bosnia and Serbia – the use of the word genocide remains unacceptable.
In the run-up to the anniversary, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic described Srebrenica as “something that we should not and cannot be proud of”, but he has never publicly uttered the word “genocide”.
- With reporting by Orla Dwyer.
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Wechat is an app worth investigating because every last bit of data in that is going towards Chinas social credits systems. The CCP had no fuss in banning Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Google, Whatsapp et al. But the U.S does this on two apps and they throw tantrums.
@Paul Cunningham: just becasue they ban the use of social media doen’t meant the west should do it also in retaliation. That would be mad! Trump has given no evidnece to his claims of spying however and it is a bit niave to think it is for the protection of citizens he’s doing it. Every single platform out there is gathering information. We all willinly offer our data for free.
@Paul Cunningham: not going to have debate with you the reasons, if they follow the law, then they are allowed doing business in China, but do they want to?
@Paul Cunningham: Strange comment. Sounds like you’re advocating particular laws while at the same time implying that they shouldn’t be allowed.
@Paul Cunningham: agree both countries are hypocrites. WeChat links to social credit system is completely BS. Mostly it’s for communication and hook up.
@Paul Cunningham: This “social credit system” is another piece of western propaganda against China. WeChat has nothing to do with it because it simply isn’t what’s described by the media at all. Most Chinese people would laugh when seeing your comment.
Shutting down a means of communication is worrisome.
The American regime is little too authoritarian. If they can’t buy up the competition, they ban them. Until they can buy them.
@Dean: Election interference concerns, be damned!
I hope trim succeeds with this one
Ever noticed how all the judges who overturn these decisions are West Coast or NY? And they usually lose when appealed?
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