Berlin, 11.07.2020
The Srebrenica genocide is the worst atrocity on European soil since World War II.
Twenty-five years ago, more than 8,000 men and boys were separated from their families and brutally executed. Many more tried to flee through the woods, but were eventually captured and murdered by the Bosnian Serb forces. In an effort to conceal the crimes that they committed, following the signing of the Dayton Peace Agreement, they relocated the bodies from the sites of mass execution and buried them in a series of mass graves.
We remember and honour the victims and we will continue to remember them. We also express our solidarity with the survivors, those who lost their family members and those who are still searching for the remains of more than 1,000 victims.
Although Srebrenica was a ‘safe area’ protected by the UN, the international community failed to protect them. Kofi Annan, the former UN Secretary-General, concluded: “The tragedy of Srebrenica will haunt us forever because the international community failed to keep its promise of never again.”
The “never again” after Srebrenica must start with the preservation of the memory and rejection of denial. We pledge to never forget!
“Genocides are not spontaneous. They are the culmination of unchallenged and unchecked intolerance, discrimination and violence.” So, let the lessons from the past guide us to overcome hatred, discrimination and violence — not only in Bosnia and Herzegovina, but all over the world.
Download the statement here.