US voices solidarity on 27th anniversary of Srebrenica genocide

WASHINGTON (AA) – The US voiced solidarity with the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina on July 11 as the Balkan nation marked the 27th anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide.

The mass killings of more than 8,000 Bosniak Muslim boys and men in 1995 by Serb forces marks biggest genocide in Europe since the World Wars.

State Department spokesman Ned Price said the US “will continue to stand with the families who lost their loved ones and with those who continue to search tirelessly for the missing,” and would “fight for the truth, support the survivors, and pursue justice by investigating and prosecuting those responsible.”

“It takes courage and strength to overcome pain and loss and to promote hope and tolerance. We are deeply committed to supporting leaders at all levels in Bosnia and Herzegovina who are willing to take meaningful steps toward reconciliation in the pursuit of a better future for all citizens,” added Price.

Bosnia and Herzegovina marked the 27th anniversary of the biggest massacre in modern history by honoring 50 newly identified victims during am Islamic memorial service that drew thousands of mourners.

In 1993, the UN Security Council had declared Srebrenica a “safe area.” amidst clashes between ethnic Serb nationalists and Bosnian Muslims. However, troops led by Gen. Ratko Mladic, who was later found guilty of crimes against humanity and genocide, overran the UN’s ‘safe zone’ two years later. UN Peacekeeping troops from the Netherlands proved to be inept bystanders, unable to stop the gruesome tragedy from unfolding. There was no attempt to resist as Serb forces occupied the area, killing some 2,000 Muslim men and boys on the single day of July 11 alone. The hate-driven massacre continued unabated. 15,000 Srebrenica residents fled to the surrounding mountains, but Serbian troops hunted them down till a total of 8,000 innocent Muslim Bosnians were slaughtered en masse.

Bodies lay strewn around for days, denied the Islamic right of funeral or burial. Many bodies still remain unidentified, many mass graves are still lost and unmarked.

Later, bodies of victims were found from 570 different places across the country. Bodies continue to be discovered years after the nightmarish events.

In 2007- twelve years after the mass murder- the International Court of Justice in The Hague finally ruled that genocide had in fact been committed in Srebrenica.

On June 8, 2021, UN tribunal judges upheld in a second-instance trial a verdict sentencing Mladic to life in prison for the genocide, persecution, crimes against humanity, extermination and other war crimes in Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Thousands of victim families of Bosnian Muslims continue to bear the terrible scars of trauma, loss and an ever-present grief.