Bosnia bids farewell to 30 more newly identified Srebrenica genocide victims

Marking the 28th anniversary of the 1995 Srebrenica massacre, Bosnia and Herzegovina on Tuesday bid farewell to 30 more newly identified genocide victims at a memorial service. Every year on July 11, newly identified victims of the genocide are laid to rest at a memorial cemetery in Potocari, eastern Bosnia. The memorial center is the focal point of remembrance for friends and relatives of the victims, mostly men and boys, murdered by Bosnian Serb militias. Montenegrin Prime Minister Dritan Abazovic, Turkish Minister for Family and Social Services Mahinur Özdemir Göktaş, and many local politicians attend the ceremony. 'The genocide must never be denied. The truth sets you free, and I believe that when we all accept the truth, the region will really take a different path, the path of reconciliation and progress,' said Abazovic. Bulgarian Foreign Minister Mariya Gabriel said: 'We must never forget what happened in Srebrenica.' 'A day when we remember the murder of 8,372 innocent people and countless crimes of rape and torture. It is also a reminder that the truth is not honored but denied by Serbia, itself an inhuman crime,' said Kurti. At the historic bridge in Mostar-an iconic multi-faith city-people gathered to jump without applause from the approximately 20-meter (65.6 feet) high bridge. Croatia's capital Zagreb held a light projection of the iconic Srebrenica flower. The flower has a message-white signifies innocence, green signifies hope, and 11 petals stand for July 11, 1995. Thousands of people from all over the world come to the Bosnian town every year and follow the same forest path used by the Bosniaks when they were fleeing genocide. More than 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys were killed when Bosnian Serb forces attacked the eastern town of Srebrenica in July 1995, despite the presence of Dutch peacekeeping troops. The UN Security Council had declared Srebrenica a 'safe area' in the spring of 1993. However, troops led by Gen. Ratko Mladic, who was later found guilty of war crimes, and crimes against humanity and genocide, overran the UN zone. Around 15,000 residents of Srebrenica fled to the surrounding mountains, but Serb troops hunted down and killed 6,000 more people. In 2007, the International Court of Justice in The Hague ruled that genocide had been committed in Srebrenica.

Bosnia bids farewell to 30 more newly identified Srebrenica genocide victims

On Tuesday, Bosnia and Herzegovina observed the 28th anniversary of the 1995 Srebrenica massacre by holding a memorial service to honor 30 recently identified victims of the genocide. The solemn event served as a farewell and a way to remember the lives lost during this tragic event in history.