Srebrenica Genocide Memorial

Srebrenica Massacre Memorial
Srebrenica-Potočari Memorial and
Cemetery to Genocide Victims

The gravestones at the Srebrenica Genocide memorial.
Details
Established 20 September 2003
Location Donji Potočari, Srebrenica
Country Bosnia and Herzegovina
Coordinates 44°9′26.31″N 19°18′4.74″E / 44.1573083°N 19.3013167°E / 44.1573083; 19.3013167Coordinates: 44°9′26.31″N 19°18′4.74″E / 44.1573083°N 19.3013167°E / 44.1573083; 19.3013167
Type Public
Website www.potocarimc.org

The Srebrenica Genocide Memorial, officially known as the Srebrenica-Potočari Memorial and Cemetery for the Victims of the 1995 Genocide,[1] is the memorial-cemetery complex in Srebrenica set up to honour the victims of the 1995 Srebrenica genocide. The victims were mainly males, mostly Bosniaks and some Croats.[2]

As of July 2012, 6,838 genocide victims have been identified through DNA analysis of body parts recovered from mass graves[3] and 6,241 (July 2014) victims have been buried.[4]

Background

The massacre in Srebrenica began in Potocari, where some 25,000 Bosniak refugees had desperately gathered awaiting evacuation. After entering the city in 13 July 1995, Bosnian Serb forces, led by Ratko Mladic, moved into Potocari and separated many Bosniak men and teenage boys from the rest of the crowd before killing them; some women and girls were raped and killed as well. The Dutch UN peacekeepers stationed in Srebrenica (Dutchbat) were unable to stop the massacre, despite having their headquarters in the town. In all, about 1,200 innocent people were murdered at Potocari before the survivors were evacuated to Tuzla.

In October 2000 Wolfgang Petritsch, the High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina, declared that the land in Potočari would be turned into a memorial and cemetery for the victims of the genocide.[5] In May 2001, a foundation was established to oversee and finance construction of the Srebrenica Genocide Memorial. Two months later, around the time of the sixth anniversary of the massacre, a foundation stone was laid for the memorial in front of a crowd of 15,000 people. The first memorial was held in July 2002 with about 20,000 attendees. The first 600 victims were buried in the new cemetery in March 2003.

Opening

The $5.8 million memorial-cemetery complex paid for with donations from private groups and governments. The United States provided $1 million toward the project.[6][7] The memorial was opened by the former United States President, Bill Clinton, on 20 September 2003, when he told thousands of relatives of the Srebrenica massacre victims:[8][9]

“ Bad people who lusted for power killed these good people simply because of who they were. But Srebrenica was the beginning of the end of genocide in Europe. [...] We remember this terrible crime because we dare not forget, because we must pay tribute to the innocent lives, many of them children, snuffed out in what must be called genocidal madness. [...] I hope the very mention of the name “Srebrenica” will remind every child in the world that pride in our own religious and ethnic heritage does not require or permit us to dehumanize or kill those who are different. I hope and pray that Srebrenica will be for all the world a sober reminder of our common humanity. [...] May God bless the men and boys of Srebrenica and this sacred land their remains grace. ”

Bill Clinton was the President of the United States during much of the Bosnian war and presided over the Dayton peace agreement.

Anniversaries

On 5 July 2005, Bosnian Serb police found two bombs at the memorial site, just days ahead of a ceremony to mark the massacre's 10th anniversary, when 580 identified victims were to be buried during the ceremony, and more than 50,000 people, including international politicians and diplomats, were expected to attend. The bombs would have caused widespread loss of life and injury had they exploded, and were probably aimed at plunging the region into further bloodshed.[10][11]

On 11 July 2007, 30,000 gathered to the 12th anniversary. Carla del Ponte, the chief prosecutor of International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, also attended.[12] On 12 July 2007, a day after the 12th anniversary of the massacre and the burial of a further 465 victims, a group of men dressed in Chetnik uniforms marched the streets of Srebrenica. They all wore badges of military units which committed the massacre in July 1995.[13][14]

On 11 July 2009, marking the 14th anniversary, some 40,000 Bosniak mourners, a number of western diplomats and civic associations from across the region attended the burial ceremony on Saturday for 534 newly identified victims. Among the victims were 44 teenagers. No Bosnian Serb high-level officials were present at the ceremony. Ethnically related incidents such as graffiti containing threats on a mosque and the vandalism of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s national flag torn from the Bratunac town-hall building occurred.[15][16] Members of the Ravna Gora Chetnik movement desecrated the flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina, marched in the streets wearing T-shirts with the face of Ratko Mladić and sang Chetnik songs.[17][18][19] A group of men and women associated with Obraz "chanted insults directed towards the victims and in support of the Chetnik movement, calling for eradication of Islam".[20] A full report of the incident was submitted to the local District Prosecutor's Office but no one has been prosecuted.[21] Bosnia and Herzegovina does not have a law banning fascist organizations and similar groups and the police there considered it "freedom of association".[22]

On 11 July 2010, the 15th anniversary, 775 coffins of Bosnian Muslims and Croats which included one Roman Catholic Bosnian Croat.[23][24] Serbian President Boris Tadić attended the ceremony.[25] A statement by the US president Barack Obama was read:

“ On the occasion of the 15th anniversary of the genocide at Srebrenica, and on behalf of the United States, I join my voice with those who are gathered to mourn a great loss and to reflect on an unimaginable tragedy.

Fifteen years ago today, despite decades of pledges of “never again,” 8,000 men and boys were murdered in these fields and hills. They were brothers, sons, husbands, and fathers, and they all became victims of genocide. I have said, and I believe, that the horror of Srebrenica was a stain on our collective conscience. We honor their memories and mourn with their families, as many of them are laid to rest here today. They were people who sought to live in peace and had relied on the promise of international protection, but in their hour of greatest need, they were left to fend for themselves. Only those of you who suffered through those days, who lost loved ones, can comprehend the unspeakable horror. You have carried this burden and live with pain and loss every moment of your lives.

This atrocity galvanized the international community to act to end the slaughter of civilians, and the name Srebrenica has since served as a stark reminder of the need for the world to respond resolutely in the face of evil. For fifteen years, the United States has joined with you to foster peace and reconciliation in this troubled land. We recognize that there can be no lasting peace without justice, and we know that we will all be judged by the efforts we make in pursuit of justice for Srebrenica’s victims and those who mourn them. Justice must include a full accounting of the crimes that occurred, full identification and return of all those who were lost, and prosecution and punishment of those who carried out the genocide. This includes Ratko Mladic, who presided over the killings and remains at large. The United States calls on all governments to redouble their efforts to find those responsible, to arrest them, and to bring them to justice. In so doing, we will honor Srebrenica’s victims and fulfill our moral and legal commitments to end impunity for crimes of such awful magnitude.

We have a sacred duty to remember the cruelty that occurred here, and to prevent such atrocities from happening again. We have an obligation to victims and to their surviving family members. And we have a responsibility to future generations all over the globe to agree that we must refuse to be bystanders to evil; whenever and wherever it occurs, we must be prepared to stand up for human dignity.

May God bless you all, and may God bless the memory of all those who rest here.[26]

 ”

On 11 July 2012, the 17th anniversary, about 30,000 people attended the ceremony and 520 newly identified victims were buried.[27] About 7,000 individuals, including some survivors, embarked on a three-day and 110 kilometer long march in order to commemorate the march made by 15,000 Bosniaks who fled after the town fell to the Bosnian Serb Army.[28] Rabbi Arthur Schneier of the Park East Synagogue in New York gave a speech at the Memorial.[27] In Croatia, the Croatian parliament held a minute of silence and a speech was given by Nedžad Hodžić, a representative of the Bosniak community in Croatia.[29] In Montenegro, the Montenegrin parliament, a Bosniak NGO forum, and the Alliance of World War II Veterans and Antifascists held a commemoration in Podgorica’s Pobrežje Memorial Park.[30] The Serbian NGO Women in Black gathered in Belgrade for a performance called “We will never forget the genocide in Srebrenica” in remembrance.[31] US President Barack Obama stated that "the name Srebrenica will forever be associated with some of the darkest acts of the 20th century." He added that the U.S. "rejects efforts to distort the scope of this atrocity, rationalize the motivations behind it, blame the victims, and deny the indisputable fact that it was genocide."[27] UK Prime Minister David Cameron said that the genocide should never be forgotten or denied and urged that the world "prevent such atrocities from taking place."[27]

On 17 November 2012, various war veteran groups from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, and Croatia visited the memorial and paid tribute.[32][33]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Schwarz-Schilling, Christian (25 June 2007). "Decision Enacting the Law on the Center for the Srebrenica-Potocari Memorial and Cemetery for the Victims of the 1995 Genocide". OHR.
  2. ↑ Find a Grave: Srebrenica-Potočari Memorial and Cemetery
  3. ↑ "Over 7,000 Srebrenica Victims have now been recovered". ICMP. 11 July 2012.
  4. ↑ "Srebrenica's yearly burial of atrocity victims". Euronews. 11 July 2012.
  5. ↑ "Courting Democracy in Bosnia and Herzegovina". Google Books. 17 May 2010. Retrieved 21 April 2015.
  6. ↑ "Clinton to open Srebrenica memorial". BBC. 4 August 2003.
  7. ↑ "Clinton unveils Bosnia memorial". BBC. 20 September 2003.
  8. ↑ Wilkinson, Tracy (21 September 2003). "Clinton Helps Bosnians Mourn Their Men". Los Angeles Times.
  9. ↑ Original Source: The US Embassy via Archive.org
  10. ↑ Irena Knezevic, Irena Knezevic (6 July 2005). "Bombs found in Srebrenica". The Guardian.
  11. ↑ "Explosives Found at Srebrenica Memorial". FOX News. 5 July 2005.
  12. ↑ "30,000 Gather to Rebury Srebrenica Massacre Victims on Anniversary of Killings". FOX News. 11 July 2007.
  13. ↑ "Aide-Mémoire 7th Session of the UN Human Rights Council" (PDF). Society for Threatened Peoples. 21 February 2008.
  14. ↑ Voloder, Vanda (12 July 2007). "Četnici bili u Srebrenici, ali policija nije reagirala". 24 sata.
  15. ↑ "Bosnia buries Srebrenica victims". BBC. 11 July 2009.
  16. ↑ "World news in brief: Srebrenica victims mourned". The Sunday Times. 12 July 2009.
  17. ↑ Horvat, Karmen (13 July 2009). "Chetniks Urinate On Bosnia-Herzegovina Flag". Dalje.
  18. ↑ "Sramotno: četničko orgijanje po Srebrenici i Bratuncu". Slobodna Dalamacija. 13 July 2009.
  19. ↑ "Četnički simboli u Srebrenici". Index.hr. 13 July 2009.
  20. ↑ "Controversial group in Srebrenica incident". B92. 13 July 2009.
  21. ↑ "Incidenti u Srebrenici i Bratuncu: Četničko orgijanje ne zanima tužioce?". 24 sata. 7 August 2009.
  22. ↑ "Paljenje zastave BiH: Nema kazni za četničko divljanje". 24 sata. 24 February 2010.
  23. ↑ Zuvela, Maja (11 July 2010). "Fifteen years on, Srebrenica buries more victims". Reuters.
  24. ↑ "Srebrenica buries hundreds of massacre victims on 15th anniversary of killings". Guardian. 11 July 2010.
  25. ↑ "Barack Obama demands justice 15 years after Srebrenica". BBC. 11 July 2010.
  26. ↑ Obama, Barack (6 July 2010). "President's letter on Srebrenica". The White House.
  27. 1 2 3 4 Cerkez, Aida (11 July 2012). "Bosnians bury 520 Srebrenica genocide victims". The Guardian.
  28. ↑ Hopkins, Valerie (11 July 2012). "Marchers Form 'Living Monument' to Horror of Srebrenica". Balkan Insight.
  29. ↑ Pavelic, Boris (11 July 2012). "Croatia Pays Tribute to Srebrenica Victims". Balkan Insight.
  30. ↑ Milosevic, Milena (12 July 2012). "Montenegro Commemorated Srebrenica Genocide". Balkan Insight.
  31. ↑ Ristic, Marija (11 July 2012). "Belgrade Women Honour Srebrenica Victims". Balkan Insight.
  32. ↑ "Balkan war veterans from opposite sides pay respect to Bosnia's Srebrenica massacre victims". Washington Post. 17 November 2012.
  33. ↑ "Ratni veterani iz Srbije odali počast žrtvama genocida u Srebrenici". Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty. 18 November 2012.
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