SREBRENICA, Bosnia and Herzegovina: Thousands gathered on Friday to mark 30 years since the Srebrenica genocide – Europe’s worst atrocity since World War II – commemorating over 8,000 Muslim men and boys killed after Bosnian Serb forces overran the UN-protected enclave on July 11, 1995.
The remains of seven newly identified victims were laid to rest at the Srebrenica Memorial Centre, including 19-year-old Tarik and 67-year-old Ajka.
Most remains were incomplete – some reduced to a single bone – due to efforts by perpetrators to hide the crime by relocating mass graves.
“I never saw my father… and today, my grandfather is being buried, just some of his bones, next to his son,” said Anela Alic, 32, who was born shortly before the massacre and lost both father and grandfather.
Over 7,000 victims have been identified and buried; nearly 1,000 remain missing.
“For 30 years we have carried the pain in our souls,” said Munira Subasic, who lost her husband and 17-year-old son.
“Europe and the world watched in silence.”
Some families, like Mevlida Omerovic’s, chose to bury partial remains after decades of waiting.
“I have nothing to wait for anymore,” she said, laying her husband to rest with only his jawbone.
Canadian UN veteran Daniel Chenard, deployed in Srebrenica before Dutch peacekeepers took over, returned to express regret.
“I always wanted to say: I’m sorry for abandoning you,” he said.
Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic were convicted of genocide, but Serbian and Bosnian Serb leaders continue to deny the verdicts.
Despite their opposition, the UN last year designated July 11 as the official Remembrance Day.
On Friday, Serbian President, Aleksandar Vucic, extended condolences, calling the massacre a “terrible crime” while stopping short of acknowledging genocide.
“We cannot change the past, but we must change the future,” he said.
“Srebrenica remains a deep scar on European history,” said EU Enlargement Commissioner, Marta Kos. “It is our duty to remember.”
In Belgrade, dozens lit candles in silent tribute. – AFP
