Resolution to declare Srebrenica genocide remembrance day sent to UN General Assembly

By Serife Cetin

A draft resolution was sent on Thursday to the UN General Assembly to designate a Srebrenica genocide remembrance day.

According to information obtained by Anadolu, the resolution calls for July 11 to be declared as the International Day of Reflection and Commemoration of the 1995 Genocide in Srebrenica.

Condemning the denial of the Srebrenica Genocide, the draft resolution also denounces the glorification of crimes against humanity, genocide, and war criminals.

Highlighting the importance of ongoing efforts for the identification of genocide victims and the retrieval of their bodies, the resolution emphasizes the need for all perpetrators to be brought to justice.

Although the timing of the resolution's vote is not yet known, each member state has one vote in the UN General Assembly. Unlike the UN Security Council, no country has veto power.

While not legally binding, General Assembly resolutions carry political weight and send a strong message to the international community.

Zlatko Lagumdzija, the permanent representative of Bosnia and Herzegovina to the UN, had previously announced via his social media account that a draft resolution, organized by Germany and Rwanda, had been sent to all permanent missions by the president of the 78th UN General Assembly, Dennis Francis.

- Serbs and Russians oppose such resolution

On March 29, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said in a statement that the main purpose of the resolution was to punish the Serbian people for their libertarian and independent policies and to put additional pressure on the issue related to Kosovo.

Milorad Dodik, the president of the Republika Srpska (RS) entity in Bosnia and Herzegovina, said: "What happened there was a crime that occurred after the fatigue, hatred, and pain of the war, but it was not genocide."

Serbian National Assembly Speaker Ana Brnabic also said Belgrade would oppose such a move at the UN.

Russia's Permanent Representative to the UN Vassily Nebenzia said that the resolution addressed the issue “unilaterally.”

The Bosnian Muslims were killed in Srebrenica, despite the presence of Dutch peacekeeping troops, as Serb forces attempted to wrest the territory from Bosnian Muslims and Croats to form a state.

The UN Security Council declared Srebrenica a "safe area" in the spring of 1993. But troops led by Gen. Ratko Mladic overran the UN zone. He was later found guilty of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide.

Dutch troops failed to act as Serb forces occupied the area, killing 2,000 men and boys on July 11, 1995 alone.

About 15,000 residents of Srebrenica fled to the surrounding mountains, but Serb troops hunted them down and killed 6,000 more people.

The bodies of victims have been found in 570 areas across the country.

In 2007, the International Court of Justice in The Hague ruled that a genocide had been committed in Srebrenica.

*Writing by Merve Aydogan in Canada