“The truth must never be silenced,” says Remembering Srebrenica UK after threats forced the Srebrenica Memorial Center to close its doors.
Remembering Srebrenica UK expresses solidarity with the Srebrenica Memorial Centre, which has been forced to close its doors for security reasons.
Tensions have risen after Bosnian Serb ultranationalist leader Milorad Dodik recently called on ethnic Serbs to leave state institutions, including the police and courts. His call came after the Republika Srpska National Assembly unilaterally passed laws hostile to the peace agreement that ended the Bosnian war in the 1990s.
Dodik, who has already been sentenced to prison for disobeying the decisions of the High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina, warned that he would “radicalize the situation” in the country, sparking fears that the Srebrenica Memorial Center, which commemorates the 1995 genocide against Bosniaks, could become a target for genocide glorifiers.
Dr. Waqar Azmi OBE, President of Remembering Srebrenica UK, said today:
“This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Bosnian genocide. The Srebrenica Memorial Center, towering over thousands of gravestones of innocent victims, does a vital job in preserving their memory and supporting survivors. They also educate today’s generations about the importance of fighting hatred, whether in Bosnia or elsewhere.
The provocative new laws passed by the National Assembly of Republika Srpska not only pose a direct threat to the sovereignty of Bosnia and Herzegovina, but also continue to promote the same ideology that led to the genocide in Srebrenica – the worst crime on European soil since World War II.
Remembering Srebrenica UK stands with our friends at the Memorial Centre. This news is a painful reminder of the need to mark the 30th anniversary of the Bosnian genocide, which we will be leading in the UK this year with hundreds of commemorative events across the country, ahead of the International Day of Remembrance for Srebrenica on 11 July. We remember yesterday and act today. The truth must never be silenced.”
