The commemoration of the 18th year of the genocide in which 409 victims were buried started by playing the national anthem of Bosnia-Herzegovina, reciting the Fatiha prayer and a minute of silence in Srebrenica. Citizens came to Memorial Center Potocari from all parts of Bosnia-Herzegovina as well as the families of the victims from abroad such as US, Australia, western Europe and other parts of the world.
Funeral prayer was led by mufti of the Islamic community in Bosnia-Herzegovina Husein Kavazovic who had previously said, "After the funeral prayer and after the bones that we found after an eighteen years, are laid in the graves our commitment to the victims will not end, nor will we finish our job. We will continue to come here. We will remember our loved ones, brothers and sisters, and pass the memory to our descendants, to teach them to do the same when we are no longer in this world. Tragedy that has befallen us; we can not change, we can not revive the dead, but we will not forget the faces of the criminals who killed our brothers and sisters, as well as those who have passively allowed it."
High Representative in Bosnia-Herzegovina Valentin Inzko called on all present and other people in the world to honor the victims and to pray for them and find peace in this "sacred cemetary".
He conveyed two messages, one of the very sick lady from Sarajevo that the "sea of tears will flow in the coffin of the martyrs" and the other from a minority of Bosnia to "respond to the hatred with love and peace".
Abdullah al-Humd Harbey, president of the Friendship Group between the parliaments of Bosnia and Saudi Arabia thanked the people of the authorities of Bosnia-Herzegovina, the Organizing Committee for the manifestation of the anniversary of genocide and the association "Mothers of Srebrenica and Zepa Enclaves" for organizing the commemoration of the 18th year of the genocide " so that future generations would never forget what happened on this day in 1995".
Nils Muizhnieks, Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe expressed solidarity with those killed and their loved ones.
"The best way to revive the victim is to determine the acceptance of the truth about the genocide. Although there is peace, still there is no justice. Thousands of victims are waiting for the perpetrators to be brought into justice. It is unacceptable that the war criminals enjoy unpunished and live in communities with their victims," Muizhnieks said and added that cases of missing persons must be solved, because it is 20 years since the war.
"We will continue to remind the government what their responsibilities are. We will keep the memory of the victims" Muizhnieks concluded.
Memorial service was attended by President of The Friendship Group for the cooperation with the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia-Herzegovina Abdullah Humd Al-Harbey, High Representative in Bosnia-Herzegovina Valentin Inzko, Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe Nilsa Muiznieksa, Minister for Culture and Tourism of Turkey Omer Celik, Chairman of Representatives of The Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia-Herzegovina Denis Becirovic, member of the Presidency of Bosnia-Herzegovina Bakir Izetbegovic, Head of EU Delegation in Bosnia-Herzegovina Peter Sorensen, Chairman of the House of Representatives of The Federation Parliament of Bosnia-Herzegovina Fehim Skaljic, president of Federation Zivko Budimir and others.
Guests were addressed by Camil Durakovic, Mayor of the Municipality of Srebrenica, and Patrick Moon, U.S. Ambassador to Bosnia-Herzegovina, who read the message of the US Secretary of State John Kerry in which he stated that the US welcomes efforts of those who are seeking justice for the victims and the return of citizens to their homes.
Srebrenica was first genocide on European soil since World War II.
The army of Serbia under the command of indicted war criminal Ratko Mladic killed more than eight thousand Bosniaks, mostly adult men and boys. The youngest victim was a newborn baby, daughter of Hava and Hajrudin Muhic, to which postmortaly the name Fatima was given. The oldest victim was 76. Among the victims buried today are 44 underage boys.
The number of found and buried victims of Srebrenica genocide had reached 5,546 with the recent burials on Thursday in Potocari Cemetery.
July 11, 1995 marked the slaying of more than 8,000 Bosniak (Bosnian Muslim) boys and men, perpetrated by Bosnian Serb forces in Srebrenica, a town in eastern Bosnia-Herzegovina. In addition to the killings, more than 20,000 civilians were expelled from the area—a process known as ethnic cleansing. The genocide as the worst episode of mass murder within Europe since World War II, helped galvanize the West to press for a cease-fire that ended three years of warfare on the Bosnian territory. However, it left deep emotional scars on survivors and enduring obstacles to political reconciliation between Bosnia-Herzegovina and Serbia.
Britain never forgets Srenbrenica massacre, says Cameron
Cameron reminded that eighteen years ago today, on 11 July 1995, Bosnian Serb forces under the command of Ratko Mladic overran the town of Srebrenica in Bosnia-Herzegovina. In the days that followed, over 8,000 men and boys were massacred and up to 30,000 women and girls were forcibly expelled, adding,"The horror of those events has stayed with me and today I renew my deepest condolences to the bereaved."
Cameron pointed out that they did not forget these events which were very important.
"I am pleased that the government has been able to work with Remembering Srebrenica, an initiative dedicated to commemorating and honouring the victims of Srebrenica, to organize a remembrance ceremony in London this year for the very first time," said Cameron.
Cameron stressed that much had changed in Bosnia-Herzegovina since those dark days of the early 1990s, saying, "The threat of violence no longer hangs so heavy over its citizens. However, Bosnia-Herzegovina has further to go if it is to achieve its potential and establish itself as a member of the EU and NATO, playing a full role as a stable and sovereign country."
Cameron emphasized that Britain was firmly committed to helping Bosnia-Herzegovina achieve this goal.
"Ensuring that Bosnia-Herzegovina is tolerant, inclusive and firmly at peace must be the lasting tribute to Srebrenica’s memory,” said Cameron.
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