Srebrenica Memorial Week takes place in July and remembers those who were massacred by Serb military forces in the Bosnian town in 1995
Srebrenica Memorial Week has been launched in the UK, bringing together organisations, individuals and charities to remember the victims of the massacre that took place in the Bosnian city in 1995.
This year is the 21st anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide and the United Kingdom’s Srebrenica Memorial Week runs from Sunday 10 July to Sunday 17 July 2016.
The event’s theme to mark the milestone anniversary is ’21: Coming of age – time to act’, and was launched by Minister of State Baroness Williams, in the House of Lords, earlier this year.
Twenty-one represents a coming of age – a passage into adulthood. Thousands of Bosnian young people never had the chance to celebrate their coming of age and were systematically murdered because of who they were. The youngest victim of the genocide was just two days old – shot in the head. The child would have turned 21 this year.
Dr Waqar Azmi OBE, Chairman of Remembering Screbrenica, speaking at the launch of Srebrenica Memorial Week
National charity Remembering Srebrenica – based in Birmingham – have been instrumental in educating and raising awareness for he genocide.
A spokesperson for the charity said: “We live in turbulent times. As we witness increasing levels of hatred, particularly anti-Muslim hatred, it has never been more important to engage with young people and teach them that such hatred leads to genocide.
“We aim to inspire Britain’s young people to join older generations in challenging hatred in our communities and help create a more cohesive society for all. By doing so, we not only honour thousands of people brutally murdered for who they were, but we celebrate the hope that rises from the darkest times.
“Now, in 2016, it is time to act – not just for our young people, but for each and every generation. More than ever, it is vital that we come together to ensure that hatred of the kind witnessed in Srebrenica 21 years ago never takes root in our society.”
Memorial gravestones in Srebrenica (Photograph: Michael Büker/Wikimedia)
During the Balkans conflict of 1992-1995, the Bosnian town of Srebrenica was declared a UN Safe Area in 1993, under the watch of the United Nations Protection Force (UNPROFOR).
In July 1995, General Ratko Mladić and his Serbian paramilitary units overran and captured the town, despite its designation as an area “free from any armed attack or any other hostile act”.
In the days following Srebrenica’s fall, more than 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys were systematically massacred and buried in mass graves. Thousands of women, children and elderly people were forcibly deported and a large number of women were raped. It was the greatest atrocity on European soil since the Second World War.
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) and the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) ruled that the mass execution of Bosniak men and boys in Srebrenica constituted genocide.
Judge Fouad Riad, who reviewed the indictment, described the “unimaginable savagery” that the victims endured at the hands of Mladic’s forces. He said these were: “truly scenes from hell, written on the darkest pages of human history.”
Baroness Sayeeda Warsi (third from right) joins Dr Waqar Azmi (right) and attendees at the launch of Srebrenica Memorial Week 2016
In 1999, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan wrote:
“Through error, misjudgement and an inability to recognise the scope of the evil confronting us, we failed to do our part to help save the people of Srebrenica from the Serb campaign of mass murder.”
Birmingham human rights campaigner Salma Yaqoob attends the Remembering Srebrenica launch in the House of Lords in London
The theme allows survivors to keep alive the memory of Srebrenica, teaching younger generations the consequences of hatred and intolerance. They can help combat hatred, as well as genocide denial and allow us to better understand what it’s like to live with the atrocity’s legacy; and people to take part in our activities and explain the impact of their involvement, highlighting how they have engaged with other community groups to foster stronger community relations.
They can demonstrate key work they have done in their communities to help tackle hatred and intolerance.
On Sunday 17th July, a unity rally will be held in Birmingham’s Victoria Square to remember the victims, to stand united against racism and hate; and to say ‘Never again!’. The event – titled ‘Remember Together – We Are One‘ will begin at 1pm.
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To find out more about events taking place in Birmingham during Srebrenica Memorial Week, visit the Remembering Srebrenica website here.
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