In Great Britain, the 29th anniversary of the bloodiest crime on European soil since World War II began with a Peace March in the town of Guildford, near London.
A large number of members of the Bosnian-Herzegovinian diaspora responded to the invitation of Mujo Delić and his family and friends to pay tribute to all the victims of the Srebrenica genocide through a two-hour walk and a fitting program.
During the walk, Mujo presented to the participants what a breakthrough looked like in order to reach free territory. He spoke. about his survival, the loss of his family and everyone he knew, the way they survived the most severe injuries and carrying the wounded in difficult conditions.
At the end of the several-hour march, a history lesson was held. The focus was on youth.
Alen Suljić was 9 years old during the genocide in Srebrenica. He described to those present how he, his mother and 2 brothers, survived Potočari, where he saw with his own eyes what the Chetniks were doing to innocent people and how people were hanging themselves out of despair. They were fleeing from the criminals with the intention of reaching free territory. In that death march, Allen lost his father.
Zijad Fajković from Bosanska Gradiška was twelve years old when his neighbors were Serbs took away father and uncle in 1992. Even after thirty-two years, they have not been found, so even now he does not know if they are alive. He told how he came to Great Britain with his mother and sister as a twelve-year-old via Croatia and Slovenia.
Meho Jakupović recounted the horrors he endured in Serbian camps in the Bosnian Krajina, and Fahra Jamaković , a Sarajevan with a temporary address in London, read two poems about Srebrenica. Samir Mehmedović read a story about a son and a mother, under the emotional title “I Didn’t Kiss You, Mother”.
Sabit Jakupović MBE, originally from Kozarac, survived two camps, Manjača and Omarska. He described the fear, pain, and injuries that led him to be brought to England as a medical evacuee. He received an award from King Charles III for his year-long commitment to education and commemoration of the genocide.
At the end , Zaim Pašić, president of the BH UK Network and a veteran of the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, spoke. On behalf of the BH UK Network, Zaim thanked the organizer and added that he was glad to see so many young people. He called on them to support each other and not to forget their homeland, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Jasmin ef. Odobasic studied the Yasin and the Prayer for all the martyrs of Bosnia and Herzegovina with his fellow efendi.
The program was hosted by Lejla Delić-Ćatibušić , who had more than 30 family members killed in the genocide. She also participates in the Peace March every year. “I am in contact with Bosnian youth around the world and together we contribute to organizing the Peace March. I am proud of the fact that more than 1,000 commemorations are organized in the UK every year during the Srebrenica Remembrance Week. As a young person of Bosnian origin, I would like to thank the UK Government, Remembering Srebrenica, the BH UK Network and the many activists who make a huge contribution to ensuring that the Srebrenica genocide is not forgotten,” said Lejla.
We would like to thank Enes Ćatibušić who made the video recording of the Peace March, and the entire program can be viewed on the BH UK Network Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/bosniauknetwork/
Largely thanks to the organisation Remembering Srebrenica, the United Kingdom is the only country outside Bosnia and Herzegovina to mark the anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide on a national level. It does so with the support of the Bosnian community on the Island, eight regional committees and three national committees in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and more than 1,500 activists who pay tribute to the victims and survivors of the genocide and educate people about the dangers of hatred and the importance of building more cohesive communities for all.
BH UK Network
