The day of the UN General Assembly, which will vote on the Resolution on the genocide in Srebrenica, is approaching. The text of the resolution has been agreed, and member countries have already taken positions on how they will vote on May 23.
Associations of survivors from Bosnia and Herzegovina once again called on the members of the UN to vote for the adoption of the Resolution.
“Be on the side of humanity and support the resolution,” states the letter of the five associations of victims of the genocide in Srebrenica. Let us remind you that, despite the judgments of international courts, the official Belgrade and authorities of the BiH entity Republika Srpska deny that genocide was committed in Srebrenica in July 1995.
The International Court for War Crimes in The Hague ruled that genocide was committed in Srebrenica. For the genocide of at least 8,372 Bosniaks and other war crimes in the Srebrenica region, more than 50 people were sentenced to around 700 years in prison.
Regardless, the genocide is denied and the families of the victims demand justice. 29 years later, they are not giving up that the world should say loudly what happened on July 11, 1995, and that this day should be declared the International Day of Remembrance for all Genocide Victims, therefore an invitation from Potočar today for all members of the UN to vote for the Resolution on Srebrenica.
NURA BEGOVIĆ, president of the “Women of Srebrenica” Association
“We expect it to be adopted and we hope. Simply a message from this place where genocide was committed, the place of genocide. Genocide was committed right here, here in Potočari in front of the eyes of the whole world. You know that Srebrenica was a protected zone. We hope that the decision will be fair and that the world will finally make that decision and adopt the resolution.”
The resolution refers to the facts determined by the judgments of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia and the International Court of Justice, as well as domestic courts. Germany and Rwanda are the “sponsors” of the Resolution on the genocide in Srebrenica, that is, the countries that jointly initiated and drafted the text of the resolution. Subsequently, 32 UN member states became “co-sponsors”. But every day there are more and more countries that have firmly said that they will vote for the adoption of the resolution. A vote for the Resolution for survivors means a grain of justice after nearly three decades of denial.
The text of the Resolution on the genocide in Srebrenica is known to the public, and therefore it is clear that the text does not mention any nation or state. Regardless, from the Republika Srpska contesting the Resolution precisely because of collective responsibility.
STAŠA KOŠARAC, member of SNSD party
“An attack on the Serbian people in Bosnia and Herzegovina. An attack on the Serbian people wherever it exists and it is logical that there are political tools, political needs, the national policy of Dodik and Vučić to oppose it.”
Although Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić himself said that there is no chance of withdrawing the Resolution on the genocide in Srebrenica, he is still active in influencing UN member states not to support the text of the resolution. For now, Vučić and as the authorities of the Republika Srpska entity can count on Russia, China and Hungary. It was BiH Foreign Minister Elmedin Konaković who sent a letter to the Hungarian authorities in which he protested that Hungary would not support the Resolution on the Srebrenica genocide.
