Srebrenica Genocide Memorial

Srebrenica Massacre Memorial
Srebrenica–Potočari Memorial and Cemetery to Genocide Victims
Memorijalni centar Srebrenica–Potočari

The gravestones at the Memorial Center

Shown within Bosnia and Herzegovina

Details
Established 20 September 2003 (2003-09-20)
Location Donji Potočari, Srebrenica
Country Bosnia and Herzegovina
Coordinates 44°9′29.25″N 19°18′5.50″E / 44.1581250°N 19.3015278°E / 44.1581250; 19.3015278Coordinates: 44°9′29.25″N 19°18′5.50″E / 44.1581250°N 19.3015278°E / 44.1581250; 19.3015278
Type public, memorial
Size central area and graves:
~ 5 hectares (12 acres);
total: > 10 ha (25 acres)
No. of graves 6,504[1][2]
(of 8,372 carved names)[2][3]
Website www.potocarimc.org
Find a Grave Srebrenica-Potocari Memorial and Cemetery (ID: 2503812)
Founded after Srebrenica massacre

The Srebrenica Genocide Memorial, officially known as the Srebrenica–Potočari Memorial and Cemetery for the Victims of the 1995 Genocide,[4] is the memorial-cemetery complex in Srebrenica set up to honour the victims of the 1995 Srebrenica genocide. The victims—at least 8,372 of them—were mainly males, mostly Bosniaks and some Croats.[3]

As of May 2017, 6,938 genocide victims have been identified through DNA analysis (conducted by the International Commission on Missing Persons) of human remains recovered from mass graves[1] and 6,504 (as of July 2017) victims have been buried.[1][2]

Background

The massacre in Srebrenica began in Potocari, where some 25,000 Bosniak refugees had desperately gathered awaiting evacuation. After entering the city in 13 July 1995, Bosnian Serb forces, led by Ratko Mladic, moved into Potocari and separated many Bosniak men and teenage boys from the rest of the crowd before killing them; some women and girls were raped and killed as well. The Dutch UN peacekeepers stationed in Srebrenica (Dutchbat) were unable to stop the massacre, despite having their headquarters in the town. In all, about 1,200 innocent people were murdered at Potocari before the survivors were evacuated to Tuzla.

In October 2000 Wolfgang Petritsch, the High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina, declared that the land in Potočari would be turned into a memorial and cemetery for the victims of the genocide.[5] In May 2001, a foundation was established to oversee and finance construction of the Srebrenica Genocide Memorial. Two months later, around the time of the sixth anniversary of the massacre, a foundation stone was laid for the memorial in front of a crowd of 15,000 people. The first memorial was held in July 2002 with about 20,000 attendees. The first 600 victims were buried in the new cemetery in March 2003.

Opening

The $5.8 million memorial-cemetery complex paid for with donations from private groups and governments. The United States provided $1 million toward the project.[6][7] The memorial was opened by the former United States President, Bill Clinton, on 20 September 2003, when he told thousands of relatives of the Srebrenica massacre victims:[8][9]

Bill Clinton was the President of the United States during much of the Bosnian war and presided over the Dayton peace agreement.

Anniversaries

On 5 July 2005, Bosnian Serb police found two bombs at the memorial site, just days ahead of a ceremony to mark the massacre's 10th anniversary, when 580 identified victims were to be buried during the ceremony, and more than 50,000 people, including international politicians and diplomats, were expected to attend. The bombs would have caused widespread loss of life and injury had they exploded, and were probably aimed at plunging the region into further bloodshed.[10][11]

On 11 July 2007, 30,000 gathered to the 12th anniversary. Carla del Ponte, the chief prosecutor of International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, also attended.[12] On 12 July 2007, a day after the 12th anniversary of the massacre and the burial of a further 465 victims, a group of men dressed in Chetnik uniforms marched the streets of Srebrenica. They all wore badges of military units which committed the massacre in July 1995.[13][14]

On 11 July 2009, marking the 14th anniversary, some 40,000 Bosniak mourners, a number of western diplomats and civic associations from across the region attended the burial ceremony on Saturday for 534 newly identified victims. Among the victims were 44 teenagers. No Bosnian Serb high-level officials were present at the ceremony. Ethnically related incidents such as graffiti containing threats on a mosque and the vandalism of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s national flag torn from the Bratunac town-hall building occurred.[15][16] Members of the Ravna Gora Chetnik movement desecrated the flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina, marched in the streets wearing T-shirts with the face of Ratko Mladić and sang Chetnik songs.[17][18][19] A group of men and women associated with Obraz "chanted insults directed towards the victims and in support of the Chetnik movement, calling for eradication of Islam".[20] A full report of the incident was submitted to the local District Prosecutor's Office but no one has been prosecuted.[21] Bosnia and Herzegovina does not have a law banning fascist organizations and similar groups and the police there considered it "freedom of association".[22]

On 11 July 2010, the 15th anniversary, 775 coffins of Bosnian Muslims and Croats which included one Roman Catholic Bosnian Croat.[23][24] Serbian President Boris Tadić attended the ceremony.[25] A statement by the US president Barack Obama was read:

On 11 July 2012, the 17th anniversary, about 30,000 people attended the ceremony and 520 newly identified victims were buried.[27] About 7,000 individuals, including some survivors, embarked on a three-day and 110 kilometer long march in order to commemorate the march made by 15,000 Bosniaks who fled after the town fell to the Bosnian Serb Army.[28] Rabbi Arthur Schneier of the Park East Synagogue in New York gave a speech at the Memorial.[27] In Croatia, the Croatian parliament held a minute of silence and a speech was given by Nedžad Hodžić, a representative of the Bosniak community in Croatia.[29] In Montenegro, the Montenegrin parliament, a Bosniak NGO forum, and the Alliance of World War II Veterans and Antifascists held a commemoration in Podgorica’s Pobrežje Memorial Park.[30] The Serbian NGO Women in Black gathered in Belgrade for a performance called “We will never forget the genocide in Srebrenica” in remembrance.[31] US President Barack Obama stated that "the name Srebrenica will forever be associated with some of the darkest acts of the 20th century." He added that the U.S. "rejects efforts to distort the scope of this atrocity, rationalize the motivations behind it, blame the victims, and deny the indisputable fact that it was genocide."[27] UK Prime Minister David Cameron said that the genocide should never be forgotten or denied and urged that the world "prevent such atrocities from taking place."[27]

On 17 November 2012, various war veteran groups from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, and Croatia visited the memorial and paid tribute.[32][33]

Collective burials have been annualy held also since 2012, same as before; twenty-second one is the last to date, commemoration of 11 July 2017 when remains of newly identified 71 victims were burried in the Memorial Center.[34]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Srebrenica Figures as of 31 May 2017" (PDF). ICMP. 31 May 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 "Memorijalni centar, INFO". Memorijalni centar Srebrenica-Potočari. Retrieved 12 July 2017.
  3. 1 2 Find a Grave: Srebrenica-Potočari Memorial and Cemetery
  4. ↑ Schwarz-Schilling, Christian (25 June 2007). "Decision Enacting the Law on the Center for the Srebrenica-Potocari Memorial and Cemetery for the Victims of the 1995 Genocide". OHR.
  5. ↑ "Courting Democracy in Bosnia and Herzegovina". Google Books. 17 May 2010. Retrieved 21 April 2015.
  6. ↑ "Clinton to open Srebrenica memorial". BBC. 4 August 2003.
  7. ↑ "Clinton unveils Bosnia memorial". BBC. 20 September 2003.
  8. ↑ Wilkinson, Tracy (21 September 2003). "Clinton Helps Bosnians Mourn Their Men". Los Angeles Times.
  9. ↑ Original Source: The US Embassy via Archive.org
  10. ↑ Irena Knezevic, Irena Knezevic (6 July 2005). "Bombs found in Srebrenica". The Guardian.
  11. ↑ "Explosives Found at Srebrenica Memorial". FOX News. 5 July 2005.
  12. ↑ "30,000 Gather to Rebury Srebrenica Massacre Victims on Anniversary of Killings". FOX News. 11 July 2007.
  13. ↑ "Aide-Mémoire 7th Session of the UN Human Rights Council" (PDF). Society for Threatened Peoples. 21 February 2008.
  14. ↑ Voloder, Vanda (12 July 2007). "Četnici bili u Srebrenici, ali policija nije reagirala". 24 sata.
  15. ↑ "Bosnia buries Srebrenica victims". BBC. 11 July 2009.
  16. ↑ "World news in brief: Srebrenica victims mourned". The Sunday Times. 12 July 2009.
  17. ↑ Horvat, Karmen (13 July 2009). "Chetniks Urinate On Bosnia-Herzegovina Flag". Dalje.
  18. ↑ "Sramotno: četničko orgijanje po Srebrenici i Bratuncu". Slobodna Dalamacija. 13 July 2009.
  19. ↑ "Četnički simboli u Srebrenici". Index.hr. 13 July 2009.
  20. ↑ "Controversial group in Srebrenica incident". B92. 13 July 2009.
  21. ↑ "Incidenti u Srebrenici i Bratuncu: Četničko orgijanje ne zanima tužioce?". 24 sata. 7 August 2009.
  22. ↑ "Paljenje zastave BiH: Nema kazni za četničko divljanje". 24 sata. 24 February 2010.
  23. ↑ Zuvela, Maja (11 July 2010). "Fifteen years on, Srebrenica buries more victims". Reuters.
  24. ↑ "Srebrenica buries hundreds of massacre victims on 15th anniversary of killings". Guardian. 11 July 2010.
  25. ↑ "Barack Obama demands justice 15 years after Srebrenica". BBC. 11 July 2010.
  26. ↑ Obama, Barack (6 July 2010). "President's letter on Srebrenica". The White House.
  27. 1 2 3 4 Cerkez, Aida (11 July 2012). "Bosnians bury 520 Srebrenica genocide victims". The Guardian.
  28. ↑ Hopkins, Valerie (11 July 2012). "Marchers Form ‘Living Monument’ to Horror of Srebrenica". Balkan Insight.
  29. ↑ Pavelic, Boris (11 July 2012). "Croatia Pays Tribute to Srebrenica Victims". Balkan Insight.
  30. ↑ Milosevic, Milena (12 July 2012). "Montenegro Commemorated Srebrenica Genocide". Balkan Insight.
  31. ↑ Ristic, Marija (11 July 2012). "Belgrade Women Honour Srebrenica Victims". Balkan Insight.
  32. ↑ "Balkan war veterans from opposite sides pay respect to Bosnia’s Srebrenica massacre victims". Washington Post. 17 November 2012.
  33. ↑ "Ratni veterani iz Srbije odali počast žrtvama genocida u Srebrenici". Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty. 18 November 2012.
  34. ↑ Niksic, Sabina (11 July 2017). "Bosnia: thousands mark 22 years since Srebrenica massacre". Srebrenica: ABC News. The Associated Press. Retrieved 12 July 2017.
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