On the day of commemoration of the victims of the genocide in Srebrenica, the candidate for the President of the Republic Dr Anže Logar reminded of the victims and horrors of the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
We will not and must not forget Srebrenica – at the same time he emphasised that the way forward is only possible if we acknowledge the historical facts, recognise the suffering, and preserve the memory. Denial and relativisation of Srebrenica and other crimes of the 20th century are unacceptable. Unfortunately, we are tragically realising this again with the Russian aggression against Ukraine.
At the same time, he highlighted the efforts of Slovenian diplomacy in the past mandate both in the international community’s fight against impunity, as well as in supporting the European future of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
He also emphasised the importance of overcoming divisions and efforts to acknowledge historical facts, recognise suffering and preserve memory, and efforts for reconciliation.
At today’s commemorative ceremony on the 27th anniversary of the genocide in Srebrenica, the remains of 50 Bosnian victims out of a total of more than 8,000 killed by Bosnian Serb forces in just a few days since July 11th, 1995, will be buried in the nearby memorial centre in Potočari. The victims will also be remembered in Ljubljana.
On this anniversary, the organising committee highlighted the role of women in the fight for the truth about the genocide, as well as the fact that they too were victims.
The central memorial ceremony and religious ceremony with the burial of the remains of the victims, who were found in many mass graves in the past years, will take place as every year on the day when the Bosnian Serb units under the command of Ratko Mladić captured Srebrenica, then a United Nations protected area, and started mass killings of Bosniaks.
According to the memorial centre in Potočari, Bosnian Serb forces killed 8,372 Bosniak men and boys, as well as women, in this Bosniak enclave in just a few days, until July 19th, 1995.
After the war, the remains of the victims were found in more than 150 mass graves, mostly secondary ones. In Potočari, since 2002, the remains of identified victims have been buried at a central memorial ceremony every year. So far, 6,671 victims of genocide have been buried.
Since 2009, July 11th has been commemorated as the European Day of Remembrance for the Victims of the Srebrenica Genocide in EU member states.
The President of the Republic Borut Pahor, at the invitation of the President of the Mosque of the Islamic Community in Slovenia, Mufti Nevzet Porić, will attend a ceremony marking the anniversary of the genocide in the Muslim Cultural Centre in Ljubljana today, where he will also give a ceremonial address.
By: C.R.
