The commemoration on the occasion of the 31st anniversary of the genocide in Srebrenica was held today in the Czech Parliament in Prague.
This is the third year in a row that in the last parliamentary week before the summer break, a commemoration for Srebrenica is held in the Parliament of the Czech Republic, organized by the Embassy of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Czech Republic.
Parliamentarians, diplomats, Czech veterans who served in Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as representatives of the BiH community in the Czech Republic were greeted by Ambassador Martina Mlinarević, mentioning in her speech all the horrors that happened in Srebrenica in July 1995, with special reference to surviving mothers and women who were victims of rape as an act of war.
Ambassador Mlinarević also spoke about the repeated denial of genocide and the glorification of war criminals, and she pointed out the fact how difficult it is to talk about “never again” in the context of not repeating genocide, when we see new wars and escalations of conflicts around the world every day.
On this occasion, the Vice President of the Parliament of the Czech Republic, Barbora Urbanová, addressed the audience, who spoke in a moving speech about the events of 1995, and reminded that even today, denial of the genocide in Srebrenica continues, even after international verdicts.
She expressed her belief that no one will ever have to go through such horrors again, and that we must be clear in our efforts to prevent history from repeating itself.
This was followed by a speech by a representative of the Czech Parliament, Petr Sokol, who is a member of the Interparliamentary Group of Friends for Bosnia and Herzegovina, which was formed in 2022 at the initiative of Ambassador Mlinarević.
Representative Sokol spoke with inspiration and great knowledge of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the situation in Srebrenica about the past, the responsibility of the international community in the events of July 1995, but also about the future of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which will always have Czech support on its path to Euro-Atlantic integration.
In front of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic, the director for South and Southeast Europe Tomaš Szunyog addressed the audience, who recalled his five stays in Srebenica, spoke about the feeling of being at the commemoration in Potočari, as well as the importance of reconciliation.
The commemoration in the Parliament of the Czech Republic was attended by over 45 foreign ambassadors, Czech parliamentarians and diplomats, as well as dignitaries of the Bosnian community in Prague, announced the Embassy of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Czech Republic.
