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
He died of a powder, which was scheduled to end his rowdy there anything special that he did,
Finally RSS got the sponsors for their trousers.
Chaddi to Pants journey
Whoo!!! chaddis have become Panties now!!!
He is a victim...it could be a dirty political game. BJP-RSS finds a good guy in their own association & plots a plan against muslims by killing them. This is well known. But Allah is the best planner. None in the universe surpass him. Allahu Akbar
Dear Chinnan , we condemn innocent's killings ....but these (RSS) are traitors who plot to kill INDIAN Citizens.....and hoisting Pakistani flag in Sindhagi
Muslims never betrayed INDIA .....these are you who traited our country
Quran Says 5:32 Whoever kills a person (unjustly)it is as though he has killed all Mankind. And whoever saves a life it is as though he had saved all Mankind.
Dont judge islam by seeing people rather Islam is totally opposite to what you see.
@ Naresh kotian. Your barking statement neither bring any solution to calm the situation nor influence the people of any faith, unless they are sick minded. I have been reading your sick comments every time, and I'm sorry to say that you are a uncivilized
Some of the morons like Kotians in this forum are suffering from inferior complex
They are jealous about Muslims. And I still wonder why Indian Muslims are associated with the neighbour country when there is no connection .
Why can't u associate us with countries like Saudi Arabia UAE etc
This reflects their cheap mentality and intolerance, which is taught in their chaddi Shaka's
And why surgical within...,if Allah wills a tsunami like natural disaster can wipe out entire humanity without differntiating Hindus mulsim Christians
So stop this hatred towards other communities
And look at the deceased. In which angle he looks like a RSS worker...bcos he looks like a goon.This murder could be for Girl, real estate or drug
Why drag muslims to it , Think why he is killed , muslims do not celebrate death of any person.. If deceased is having criminal back ground , it is a lesson to other criminals , same may face same end...
bros.... why roam with hate minds... spread happiness , accept reality...
Naina, Vijaya,
Please do not come to your own conclusion....let the law take its course of action.....don't count the chicken before hatch....
Its very bad!
RIP ....there is no safety for Hindus in rashtra drohi community controlled congress ..they hacked Prashanth ,charan kuttappa and Raju ....now rudresh....jai Sri ram ....jihadis will certainly have to face repercussions ...they were upset with surgical strikes on their co brothers in pak ...now its high time surgical strikes needed within ....jai sangh parivar ....
@laila; Stop dragging, muslims into ur dirty hindusht politics
Vote bank politics at its best. An RSS worker killed nothing happens! When a Muslim or a Christian is killed (not a good thing either) it is award wapasi time. Sick Congress and Leftists!
No one deserves to be killed in a civilised society.
These type of murders and lynchings etc always happen, just before any elections. These are happening right from Nehru's period. He murdered Shyama Prasad Mukherjee, Rafiq Ahmed Kidwai etc. few more BJP and RSS workers will be murdered by Congress
RSS ? what does it stand for? Rahul-Sonia Slave ?
If a RSS worker is killed it is not a considerable offence because they are fundamentalists. If the same thing happened to others it means atrocities, anti secular, anti national, terrorist activity. When we will get up and live in the environment of reality.
@shiva, If people start killing people of one particular community for insulting girls then almost 90% of them will vanish.
I hate RSS and their Bhakts but killing any person in such a way should be condemned...... If people started killing Bhakts for insulting girls then more than 70% of Bhakts will vanish.
Hack the culprits back in a same way. hindus will not tolerate any oppression either..
If u live by sword, u die by sword
The Cong govt has no answer to give to the people over its failure to protect innocent hindus.
This should not have happened. Very sad. May Almighty Allah give courage and strength to the bereaved family members, relatives and friends to bear this irreparable loss.
Weak policing all over the country are bolstering the criminals to beat, kill, maime each other. Terrible. Strictest action needed.
Hindu murdered,all of u have no problem
But if a muslim/ Christian was murdered,u call it as fascism,terrorism,brutality,...olakkeede moody
What a ****** country
How We Hindus live here
i remember
Kalburgi
Panasare
Dabolkhar...
PARA NARI rudresh is a GOONDA. CPI(M) fools people in the name of secularism. For them secularism is being anti Hindu. They dare dont criticise Islam and its traditions but take pride in talking ill of Hindu traditions and Hinduism.
Lives of Hindus are in dangers under Siddu govt :(
It's Muslim groups who is doing to bjp
It seems rationalists are having a bad time in the sub-continent for the years. Shame really!
So sorry to hear that..
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