Bosnia UK Network sent letters to Rishi Sunak – Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, David Cameron / Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Commonwealth and Development, Alicia Kearns, Chair of the All-Parliamentary Group for Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Fleur Anderson, Chair of the All-Parliamentary Group for the Prevention of Genocide, calling on the UK Government to support the proposed resolution on Srebrenica.
Dear Prime Minister Rishi Sunak,
Bosnian diaspora in the UK calls on the Government to co-sponsor the proposed UN Resolution on Srebrenica
Diplomatic representatives of Rwanda and Germany, Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Ambassador to the UN Zlatko Lagumdžija, and the Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Dr. Denis Bećirović, proposed and argued for the adoption of an International Day of Remembrance for the Srebrenica Genocide. The resolution condemns “any attempt to deny the Srebrenica genocide and encourages every effort to bring the perpetrators to international courts.” This is a provision that calls on all countries to fulfill their obligations under the UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.
The resolution is supported by a growing number of UN member states, including Chile, France, the US, Turkey, Jordan, Albania, Italy, Liechtenstein, Slovenia, New Zealand, Ireland and North Macedonia, among others. The proposed resolution is also supported by organizations including the Aegis Trust and the Kigali Genocide Museum, along with genocide scholars in academic institutions around the world.
The resolution would be of great significance to the survivors and families not only of the Srebrenica genocide, but also to those who experienced mass atrocities throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina. Such a resolution would send a clear message to the entire world that genocide cannot and will not go unpunished. In these current times, such a message is of particular importance. It would also change the attitude of the international community and counter narratives of denial by strengthening the judgments of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY).
The resolution would be part of the ongoing efforts to bring truth and justice to those who survived and those who did not, and would highlight the importance of the work of the ICTY, the International Court of Justice, and the Bosnian courts, and all those who worked tirelessly to find victims, return them to their families, and gather evidence to prosecute perpetrators.
By supporting the resolution, we not only recognize as a country the pain and suffering of those who experienced mass atrocities, but we are also resolute in our responsibility to prevent further victimization of survivors and their families through denial. This would be a clear sign of our support for Bosnia and Herzegovina in facilitating reconciliation and stability in the region.
The resolution, which is intended to encourage all UN member states to adopt curricula that incorporate the lessons of the Srebrenica genocide, would enable future generations to be educated about the consequences and prevention of genocide. This would be a step towards building stronger and more cohesive societies for all.
At a time when the United Kingdom is debating the Genocide Determination Bill and placing the provisional determination of genocide in the hands of the higher courts here, it would be wrong to ignore the judgment of an international court which not only established but legally established the fact of genocide in Srebrenica and prosecuted the perpetrators.
Currently, the United Kingdom is the only country outside Bosnia to officially mark Srebrenica Remembrance Day and as representatives of the Bosnian diaspora in the United Kingdom we call on the Government to co-sponsor this resolution.
