Azir Osmanovic, curator of the Srebrenica Memorial Center, survived the genocide in Srebrenica. He was only 13 years old when his childhood was interrupted and he had to grow up overnight. Yesterday he addressed the United Nations (UN), and his speech caused deep emotions. Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) Ambassador to the UN Zlatko Lagumdzija cried, and others applauded for a long time.
In his address, Azir Osmanovic stated that he devoted his life to collecting material and other evidence about the disappearance of his community, the Bosnian Muslims in and around Srebrenica. Despite everything he experienced, he returned to Srebrenica and lives there with his wife and three children.
“I am addressing you as a survivor and witness of the genocide and as a guardian of the culture of memory of the genocide in and around Srebrenica. As a survivor, I add my voice and appeal to you to declare July 11th as the international day of remembrance of the genocide in Srebrenica,” said Osmanovic.
We were hoping to be safe at the base. The genocide in Srebrenica started on July 11th, 1995 according to the verdicts of the International Court and lasted for one week, but for me it started a few days earlier when the military operations started and forced me to flee day by day. The genocide lasted much longer than a week for many in Srebrenica. I don’t know why I survived. I could easily have been among the 2,000 other men and boys sentenced to death by Ratko Mladic’s army outside the UN base. I heard screams, watched them being taken away, and thought I was next. My cousin Ahmo who was two years older was taken with my grandfather Abdulah. He was killed in the genocide together with his four brothers, his father Camil and cousin Bajro, who had developmental difficulties, were also killed. All the male members of his family were killed, as were many families. In the months after the genocide, the bodies of the murdered were dismembered and buried in various locations. That is the legacy of Ratko Mladic‘s army. My brother Azmir was buried 3.5 years ago in Potocari, but we only buried the skull because that was the only thing we found. As if one tragedy wasn’t enough, my younger brother committed suicide 3.5 years after the July 11th genocide as a result of the trauma he experienced. Father Aziz was in hiding for two months after the fall of Srebrenica and moved to free territory in September. Ten years before his death, he was diagnosed with PTSD,” Azir said.
He pointed out that they live with trauma to this day, but also that they will live with it for the rest of their lives.
“Today, almost three decades later, I stand before you at the UN and ask for recognition for all that we have survived and suffered. Our fight is far from over. We are the subject of genocide denial and historical revisionism on a daily basis. The UN should put an end to this once and for all and that no one in the world ever shares our fate. We share the hope that we can protect future generations from these experiences and create a world where they can live without fear and genocide. I appeal to you to adopt this resolution. The thousands of lives lost in the genocide in Srebrenica cannot be returned, and those who survived cannot be healed, but you have the opportunity to honor the thousands who were unjustly killed and those who were betrayed by everyone and everything they believed in,” said Azir yesterday, N1 writes.
Photo: N1
E.Dz.
