Austrian Minister of Justice Alma Zadic, who as a ten-year-old was forced to leave her homeland with her parents and start a new life in Vienna due to the aggression against Bosnia and Herzegovina, sent a message on the occasion of the anniversary of the genocide in Srebrenica.
Alma Zadic is originally from BiH, and as a 10-year-old girl, she moved from her native Tuzla to Vienna because of the war. She completed her law studies in Austria and became a lawyer, and later the first Bosnian woman in the Government of Austria. Today, when the anniversary of the genocide in Srebrenica is being celebrated, Zadic sent a message about the need to react to the first signs of discrimination and hate speech.
“Today we remember the victims of the genocide in Srebrenica. On this day 27 years ago, the genocide began in Srebrenica. Over the course of several days, 8,372 men and boys were killed. Their only crime was their religion. The pain of the bereaved mothers and daughters of Srebrenica leaves us with a feeling of deep sadness. Confusion over the brutality and helplessness that it was not prevented will always remind me on July 11: that we must never allow something like this to happen again,” Zadic pointed out.
The Austrian minister believes that learning from history “means being careful”.
“When hate speech and discrimination threaten our peaceful coexistence, we must stand up,” said Zadic.
