Thirty years after the Srebrenica genocide, the European Parliament is dedicating a special session to one of the darkest pages of European history. The topic is how to preserve memory and prevent the repetition of the crime. The European Parliament recalls that in 2007 the International Court of Justice ruled that the crimes in Srebrenica constituted genocide.
July 1995. Srebrenica. Trenches of hatred and more than 8,372 men and boys killed. The world watched and remained silent. Today, three decades later, in the hall where European policy is written, there is talk of responsibility. For the silence, for the lives lost and what should have been done to prevent the genocide, but was not. In the benches of the European Parliament, among the deputies – two Srebrenica victims – Almasa and Almir Salihović. Their presence is a reminder that memory is not just a symbol but an obligation.
“Behind every name and number is a person, a family. This house pays tribute to you and all the survivors, as we continue to cherish the memory of the lives of the victims. And in the words of the Srebrenica prayer that we recite every year: May a mother’s tear be a prayer that Srebrenica will never happen again,” said Roberta Matsola, President of the European Parliament.
And yet it is repeated. In another place, to another people. Even though the world said after Srebrenica – never again!
“The innocent lives lost in Srebrenica remind us every day that hatred and lack of mercy create the ground for new conflicts, new grief and new suffering. They should remind us that it is not enough to condemn, but that we need to find the courage to prevent them. Not only the innocent victims deserve this, but also the generations that come after us. It is our duty to secure their European future,” said MEP Ondřej Kolář.
“We said never again. Yet Europe ignores again. The names of the Palestinians are written in blood in the history book of mankind. By putting this symbol that I wear on our jackets, we will not clear our conscience, ladies and gentlemen. The obligation to prevent genocide must not be a dead letter. We must react immediately,” said MEP Matjaž Nemec.
Srebrenica is not only a tragedy for Bosnia and Herzegovina, but a test – for the world, for humanity, for humanity. In Strasbourg, the conscience of a continent that failed three decades ago is also being examined. MEPs remind us – July 11 is not just a date on the calendar, but a wound in world history.
“I ask the Serbs, please, to understand what happened. Open your eyes, acknowledge the past. Accepting the truth is the first step to healing. I can tell you as an Austrian, we had a difficult time accepting the role of Austrians in the Holocaust, but it is important to accept this truth. This is key to understanding the past,” said MEP Helmut Brandstätter.
“We witnessed ethnic cleansing and desperate calls for help, but even though a safe zone was created, the UN soldiers failed to protect them. We must not let the people of BiH down again. The current ethnonationalist rhetoric and threats keep the trauma alive,” said representative Tineke Strik.
And while the words echo in the hall in Strasbourg, far from the parliament, in Potočari there are silent witnesses – white sights. Names engraved on them. 8,372 of them. Their silence is the loudest message – the past must not be forgotten. Because forgetting is the quietest and most dangerous accomplice of any future crime, Federalna TV writes.
