In a solemn ceremony, the remains of 14 victims of the 1995 Srebrenica genocide in Bosnia and Herzegovina were laid to rest on Thursday, 29 years after the atrocity that claimed the lives of over 8,000 Bosniak men and boys.
The victims, 13 men and one teenage boy, were recently identified through DNA analysis and buried at a cemetery just outside Srebrenica in eastern Bosnia. The ceremony was attended by thousands of people, who gathered to commemorate the anniversary of the genocide, which was officially recognized by the United Nations just two months ago.
Mirza Basic, a genocide survivor who was burying his 22-year-old brother Midhat, spoke of the indescribable sorrow he felt in discovering his brother's remains after nearly three decades. When the Missing Persons Institute in Bosnia showed me the photographs of my brother's clothes and the items he had with him, I experienced such strong flashbacks that I instantly relived all those years of war between 1992 and 1995, he said.
The Srebrenica genocide, which is the only acknowledged genocide in Europe since World War II, occurred in July 1995 when Bosnian Serb forces overran the United Nations-protected safe area of Srebrenica. The Bosniak men and boys were separated from their families and summarily executed, with their bodies dumped in mass graves.
Basic, a historian, also drew parallels between the Srebrenica tragedy and the ongoing conflict in Gaza, where he said oppression and genocide are being inflicted upon the Palestinian people. I wonder how the world has not learned from what happened in Srebrenica and Rwanda? How, in this modern day and age, some 30 years later, are we once again seeing history repeat itself? he lamented.
In a post on the social media platform X, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed his hope that the memory of Srebrenica would strengthen our collective resolve to prevent such atrocities from ever happening again. The establishment of an annual day of remembrance for the Srebrenica genocide, marked on July 11, is a testament to the international community's efforts to honor the victims and ensure that their stories are not forgotten.
As the remains of the 14 victims were laid to rest, the ceremony served as a poignant reminder of the enduring pain and loss felt by the survivors of the Srebrenica genocide. The ongoing quest to identify and rebury the victims, decades after the tragedy, underscores the lasting impact of this dark chapter in Bosnia's history and the importance of continued efforts to seek justice and healing.
