The Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, have urged the international community this Saturday to redouble efforts to prevent a genocide like Srebrenica from recurring, coinciding with the anniversary of the massacre of more than 8,000 Bosnian Muslims murdered by the forces of Republika Srpska, the Serb entity of Bosnia, in July 1995.
"Remembering the Srebrenica genocide of 1995 means confronting hate speech and discrimination, and renewing our determination to make 'never again' a reality for all," Guterres stated on a "solemn" day when it is necessary to "remember the victims, listen to the survivors, and act to promote justice, reconciliation, and peace."
Turk, for his part, recalled the "heartbreaking stories" he has heard during his visits to Bosnia and Herzegovina, voices that "must guide" the UN's work "to ensure that such horrors are never repeated."
As every year, thousands of relatives of the victims and survivors of the massacre have traveled to the Potocari Memorial Center to pay tribute to the murdered. Throughout the day, the remains of ten recently identified Bosniaks will be buried in the cemetery of the complex, before the start of the traditional "March for Peace."
The Hague Tribunal for War Crimes in the Former Yugoslavia, along with the courts of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, and Croatia, have so far handed down sentences against 47 people totaling more than 700 years in prison for the crimes perpetrated in July 1995. However, dozens of officials remain unaccountable, and Serbian authorities continue to refuse to recognize the Srebrenica massacre as a genocide.
The two main perpetrators of the massacre, the Bosnian Serb political leader Radovan Karadzic and the commander Ratko Mladic, considered the military executor of the operation, were sentenced to life imprisonment.