By 
18-07-2024
Innocenti Chiara
Human Rights and Europe Researcher,
Global Human Rights Defence
STRASBOURG (France) – On July 11th, 2024, Marija Pejčinović Burić, Secretary General of the Council of Europe, issued a statement to honour the memory of the thousands of victims of the 1995 Srebrenica genocide and urging the world to learn from past mistakes. Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Michael O’Flaherty, addressed the umbrella in the room, emphasising the critical need in current times to combat genocide denial and the glorification of its perpetrators.
Following the United Nations General Assembly resolution (document A/78/L.67/Rev.1) on May 23th, 2024, designating July 11th as the International Day of Reflection and Commemoration of 1995 genocide in Srebrenica, this marks the first year of international commitment to pausing and commemorating the victims of the deadliest massacre since World War II. It also pays tribute to the descendants still bearing the burden of unchecked and indiscriminate violence against their loved ones.
The massacre took place in Srebrenica, a Bosnian enclave in the eastern part of the country that had remained relatively untouched since the siege by Serbian paramilitaries and the Serbian Republic of Bosnia in 1992, driven by separatist aims. According to reports, from July 11th to 25th, 1995, men and boys predominantly of Bosniak Muslim ethnicity, were forcibly displaced, tortured, and killed, their bodies dumped in mass graves. Official investigations confirmed a death toll of 8372, for which the International community bears responsibility.
After designating Srebrenica as a “safe area”, the Dutch peacekeepers under the aegis of the United Nations failed to prevent its fall, opting for military inaction under unclear circumstances. NATO massive airstrikes that could have halted the war crimes were similarly not authorised or were delayed, arriving too late to make any relevant impact. Furthermore, the international community culpability extends to its failure to promptly prosecute Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic, identified as the chief strategists of the genocide.
On the twenty-ninth anniversary of this tragic ethnic cleansing campaign, recognised by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia as genocide, the international community and local warring factions are called upon to remember and honour the innocent victims of the onslaught. As Michael O’Flaherty remarked, in today’s world, with stronger international mechanisms for prevention and justice, it is crucial to foster societies unified by a commitment to human rights.
References and Further Readings
(2024, July 11). 11 July: International Day of Reflection and Commemoration of the 1995 Genocide in Srebrenica. Council of Europe. Retrieved on July 12, 2024, from <https://www.coe.int/en/web/portal/-/11-july-international-day-of-reflection-and-commemoration-of-the-1995-genocide-in-srebrenica>.
(2024, July 10). Srebrenica Genocide: Remember, honour and act. Council of Europe. Retrieved on July 12, 2024, from <https://www.coe.int/ru/web/commissioner/-/srebrenica-genocide-remember-honour-and-act>.
(2024, May 23). General Assembly Adopts Resolution on Srebrenica Genocide, Designating International Day of Reflection, Commemoration. United Nations. Retrieved on July 12, 2024, from <https://press.un.org/en/2024/ga12601.doc.htm>.
(2024, July 11). Srebrenica Genocide victims’ long fight for justice.Council of Europe, Commissioner for Human Rights. Retrieved on July 12, 2024, from <https://www.coe.int/en/web/commissioner/thematic-work/transitional-justice/srebrenica>.
(2005, July 10). The legacy of Srebrenica. Human Rights Watch. Retrieved on July 12, 2024, from <https://www.hrw.org/news/2005/07/10/legacy-srebrenica>.
Lampe, John. (2024). Bosnian War. Britannica. Retrieved on July 12, 2024, from <https://www.britannica.com/event/Bosnian-War>.
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