World, Europe should learn lessons from Srebrenica genocide: Bosnian leader

By Talha Ozturk

BELGRADE, Serbia (AA) - The world and Europe should learn lessons from the Srebrenica genocide, Bosnian leader Denis Becirovic said Thursday.

''The culture of remembering teaches us to fight for democracy and human rights. By remembering, we fight for a safe future for new generations,'' Becirovic said at the Fourth Summit of the European Political Community at Blenheim Palace in Woodstock, England.

He said the evils that could not be prevented in the beginning have become bigger and more dangerous.

Becirovic claimed that the culture of remembering the genocide in Srebrenica should be further developed in Europe and the world.

Addressing representatives of the British government and MPs, Becirovic thanked Britain for supporting the recognition of the genocide in which Serbian troops brutally killed at least 8,372 Bosnian civilians in July 1995.

- Srebrenica genocide

In the spring of 1993, the UN Security Council declared the city of Srebrenica a "safe area." Serb troops, however, 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 those 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 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 at 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.