Those responsible for barbarism in Gaza will be held accountable before int’l law: Turkish president

By Mehmet Tosun

Those responsible for the current "barbarism in Gaza" will sooner or later be held accountable before international law, just like with the 1995 Srebrenica genocide, the Turkish president said on Thursday.

“Türkiye will continue to do our best to ensure that justice is served and the perpetrators of the massacre are held accountable,” Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a video message sent to a commemoration ceremony of the Srebrenica genocide in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Today, Palestinians in Gaza and the occupied Palestinian territories are being subjected to atrocities similar to those committed 29 years ago in Srebrenica, said Erdogan.

He stressed that international organizations are just watching the murder of over 40,000 innocent people take place, including 16,000 children, just like they did 29 years ago in Srebrenica.

The whole world is “facing a test of humanity and sincerity,” he added.

On the UN General Assembly this May designating July 11 Srebrenica Genocide Remembrance Day, Erdogan said: "I would like to thank everyone who contributed to all stages of this decision, from its preparation to its adoption. We believe that this decision should serve as an example to prevent a darkness similar to the Srebrenica genocide from being repeated anywhere in the world.”

Decrying those who still deny the genocide in Bosnia and Herzegovina and glorify war criminals despite international court rulings, he said Türkiye is following the attacks and harassment of people who returned to their homes after the war.

It is a "sincere wish" for an internal consensus covering all sectors to prevail in Bosnia and Herzegovina, he said, adding that everyone should keep in mind that no one gains from conflict and tension.

- Newly identified victims laid to rest

Every year on July 11, newly identified victims of the 1995 genocide are buried in a memorial cemetery in Potocari in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The youngest victim to be buried this year is Beriz Mujic, 17, born in 1978 in Zvornik.

His remains were found 28 years after he was killed and were exhumed in May 2023.

He was killed in July 1995 in the Suceska area near Bratunac, and his remains were discovered and exhumed in the area of the city.

Mujic will be buried next to his brother Hazim, whose remains were laid to rest in 2013.

The body of their father, Omer Mujic, has yet to be found.

The oldest victim to be buried Thursday is Hamed Salic, born in 1927. He was 68 when he went missing in the summer of 1995 in the town of Zepa. His remains were exhumed in May 2014 and recently identified.

Thousands of people from various countries will attend the funerals and burials. Following this year's funeral, the number of victims buried at the cemetery will reach 6,765.

- Srebrenica genocide

In the spring of 1993, the UN Security Council declared the city of Srebrenica a "safe area." However, Serb troops led by Gen. Ratko Mladic, who was later found guilty of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide, overran the zone.

Dutch troops responsible for safeguarding people in the UN zone failed to act when Serb forces occupied it on July 11, killing 2,000 men and boys in a single day.

Approximately 15,000 Bosniaks fled to the surrounding mountains, but Serb troops hunted them down, killing an additional 6,000 people.

Serb forces allowed women and children to reach Bosnian-controlled regions but massacred at least 8,372 Bosnian men in forests, factories, and warehouses. The murdered Bosnians were buried in mass graves, with bodies discovered in 570 different locations across the country, including 77 mass graves.

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

Efforts to locate the missing victims of the genocide have continued, with identified remains buried at the Potocari Memorial Cemetery.​​​​​​​

On June 8, 2021, UN tribunal judges upheld a life sentence for Mladic for genocide, persecution, crimes against humanity, extermination, and other war crimes committed in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

*Writing by Gozde Bayar and Serdar Dincel​​​​​​​