Bosnia, Jul 12: Bosnians commemorated on Saturday the massacre of about 8,000 Muslim men and boys in Srebrenica, marking the 25th anniversary of killings that shocked the world and have stood out as Europe's only atrocity since World War Two constituting genocide.
Nine newly identified victims were buried at a flower-shaped cemetery near the town, where tall white tombstones mark the graves of 6,643 other victims.
"After 25 years we succeeded in finding his mortal remains, so they can be laid to their final rest," said Fikret Pezic, who buried his father Hasan.
The remains of some 1,000 victims of the massacre in the eastern town during Bosnia's 1992-1995 war are still missing.
Ifeta Hasanovic decided to bury incomplete remains of her husband, saying: "We were aware they cannot be complete after 25 years, at least there are some, I did not want to make any new delays."
World leaders addressed the ceremony by video link, unable to attend because of coronavirus epidemic. Instead of the tens of thousands visitors who typically attend the commemoration each year, only a few thousand came after organisers banned organised visits.
During the Bosnian war, Bosnian Serb forces pushed non-Serbs out of territories they sought for their Serb statelet. Fleeing Muslims took shelter in several eastern towns, including Srebrenica, that were designated as United Nations "safe zones".
On July 11, 1995, the Serb forces commanded by General Ratko Mladic overran Srebrenica, which was protected by lightly armed Dutch peacekeepers.
They sent women and children away and captured and executed the men and boys they found. The bodies were dumped into mass graves and later exhumed by U.N. investigators and used as evidence in war crimes trials of Bosnian Serb leaders.
"We grieve with the families that tirelessly seek justice for the 8,000 innocent lives lost, all these years later," said U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Washington brokered Bosnia's peace deal months after the massacre.
Most people at the commemoration were Muslim Bosniaks, reflecting conflicting narratives about the bloodshed - which hinders reconciliation nearly 25 years after the end of war in which about 100,000 people were killed.
The U.N. war crimes tribunal for the former Yugoslavia convicted Mladic and his political chief Radovan Karadzic over Srebrenica genocide but they remained heroes for Serbs, many of whom deny that genocide happened.
On Saturday, the Serbs in the nearby town of Bratunac organised an event marking July 11 as the "Srebrenica Liberation Day".
Sefik Dzaferovic, the Bosniak chairman of Bosnia's tripartite presidency, called for legislation that would ban denial of genocide.
"There can be no trust as long as we witness attacks on the truth, denial of genocide and glorification and celebration of executors," Dzaferovic told the commemoration gathering.
Comments
Is Modi Govt taking care of indians or UK. Is he PM for UK or India. He has already sold India in the hands of foreign investers and now selling indian assets also which was inherited from old kings. May be Modi will sell Taj Mahal, Qutub Minar, Vidhana soudha, Srirangapatna Mandir, Kollur Mandir to foreigners and make money for bjp and its supporters. shame on you bjp Govt. It will be better to kick out this Govt very soon otherwise we Indians will be completely sold out to foreigners. Beware of this looter's Govt.
Cheddi fans are BLINDLY supporting him. Start opening your EYES ... Looters have no issue and those helper who in the first place helped the british to loot the KOHInoor has no issue... Its not new.
Modi Govt. is a very big fake and rubbish Govt. any promise they fulfilled till now..?, hope their term will complete very soon after that only Acche Din will come..
After all RSS is the agent of British raj. How can they go against their
will ? THE REAL NAME OF RSS IS ROYAL SECRET SERVICE, which was giving then British rulers information about indian freedom fighters.
They are their sole agent then and even now.!
BLACK MONEY BHI NAHI KHOHINOOR BHI NAHI
Waah thief waah!!!
Next he will tell British never invaded India.
We invited them to learn to wear bikini.
RSS is the enemy of India.
It did not surprise me... We know cheddis partner during freedom struggle...
I think Kohinoor diamond belongs to Mugals (Shahajan). how Ranjith Sing is gifting British
Yes, its nice to see it with queen rather than kept here in India...someone will take it if it is kept here....can't trust....
Same like \National Herald is gifted to Sonia Gandhi and not looted by her\" as claimed by Congress party."
If a slave gives a \gift\" to his master, there is always room for reinterpreting the idea behind the \"gift\". But if the new masters are not different from the old, how can this happen? This is the tragedy of India - and this is why we ought to see that the Cong, BJP, CPI etc are actually a continuation of the British colonial legacy. You can defeat them in some cricket matches, but when it comes to substantive issues, you concede the match even before it begins. This is the colonialism of the mind."
Look like air leaking from 56inch chest.
Soon it will be 26 inch.
This decision of govt also justify
British rule over India.
Shame on BJP.
bjp and rss revere godse, the criminal who brutally killed Gandhiji. bjp/rss are agents of british
We want Kohinoor back, who is government to tell them to keep it and they then call themselves as nationaliats. These are real anti-nationals and agents of British.
@Tolerant Indian: Disappointing. The Brits don't deserve our Kohinoor. But if was a gift, then we shouldn't be expecting it back. Blame our Maharaja of Punjab. Height of MASKA GIRI.
Tolerant Indian: spineless modi. Kohinoor belongs to India. it is India's shaan. lalit modi now vijay mallaya took our money to UK. farmers and poor are committing suicide and government gifting riches to other countries.
@Tolerant Indian: Indians have the generosity to make the world rich, by gifting and stashing money in foreign countries!
We have had gifted everything to British during British rule! And now our Rich Indians started gifting by moving out of the country to get settled in UK? There is no surprise, everything is fine in Love to English!
Bring Kohinoor Back Kohinoor was our heritage, it should be brought back.
Kohinoor wasn't a gift. But a war prize that was pushed down our throats by sly East India Co. Better revise stand.
Everyone knows that RSS is always acted as British agent.
Kohinoor was not stolen from India. It was merely abducted. Shine On You Crazy Diamond.
Someone just told me 'we have enough gems in the govt, who needs Kohinoor.'
Okay Britain, let's do a deal. You give us back on thing we gave you - Kohinoor. We'll give you back one thing you gave us - Section 377.
modi govt run by buffoons: Kohinoor gifted by Ranjit Singh to brits? he died in 1839, brits snatched diamond in 1849!
After all, the difference between \gifted\" and \"lifted\" is just one letter."
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