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.
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Dear Sangeeth, If U carefully reading your VEDAS which says God is ONE and there is no image of GOD. U will use your intellect to know Why VEDAS says so... ARE we worshiping lifeless objects? U will come to the conclution that there is only ONE GOD who has no image where VEDAS is speaking the TRUTH. Please Learn more U can also check thequranproject online.
Learn why Vedas mention NA TASYA PRATIMA ASTI - There is no image of God. Y are U worshipping lifeless objects ... She recognized the TRUTH... Now she need to inform her parents to contemplate on the message of VEDAS which says there is only one God and no image of him. Then U will know who needs justice.
I think Hadiya already understood and she is very intelligent to recognize the Cheddi deception of keeping the hindus away from the TRUE GOD.... in Hindu scriptures it is mentioned that there is no image or statue of God. NA TASYA PRATIMA ASTI... I request the NON muslims to ask with the HINDU scholars if there is no image of God in the scriptures why are V worshiping the stones, statues (which are lifeless) ? TRUE GOD ALLAH will guide those who are HONEST in looking for him who is worthy of Worship.
She accepted Islam after developing an interest in that particular religion while studying homeo medicine and living with Muslim roommates. Her marriage was happened later through a matrimonial site. Respecting their parents feeling, every individual has the freedom to accept any religion and also to decide their life partner. There is no element of love jihad as sanghis propagate.
#JusticeForHadiya #StopSaffronTerror
If it is not love jihad and their love is pure, why she got converted. He could tell her to stay in her religion and could have married her. Thier aim is different. not love. Its love jihad.
Have to wait what cheddi people will do next.
Love jihad.. Proper love jihad. Father must get justice. Court should give justice to her father.
Cant blame her father. We will tell secular things untill it happen to us. That father must have had lot of dreams of her marriage. Everything got spoiled, even after that also she got converted. A normal cant accept as being father
Hadiya's father is thinking as cheddi people
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