After today’s commemoration in Potočari and the burial of 30 victims of genocide, High Representative Christian Schmidt visited the sites of July 1995 mass killings of Bosniaks in Kravica and Nova Kasaba.
Paying respect to the victims, the High Representative again called for a joint effort to make sure new generations can live without fear of violence.
The High Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Christian Schmidt, said today during his visit to the Potočari Memorial Center that “it is shocking that we still cannot reach a common point of view on the events of the past.”
“What happened here is horrible and I must say that I will work to ensure that all those who deny the genocide and who continue on that path are taken legal action against them and prosecuted. That’s why the chief prosecutor from Bavaria will be with me in the delegation tomorrow with several of his colleagues who normally work on Holocaust denial cases, so that we can find out what are the best actions that can be taken against people who deny this. Against all persons who try to propagate lies, the only way to talk about this is to tell the truth,” he said in an address to the media.
He emphasized that the work and capabilities of the Memorial Center in Potočari must be strengthened.
“It is necessary to work on commemoration as well as on education. I want to thank director Suljagić and all his colleagues for being ready to meet so that we can work together on further plans for the future, so that new generations become familiar with human rights violations. We must to make sure that all those who stay here feel good. This especially applies to the families of the victims, who are often treated in an ugly way, that is, who are often insulted in a very unacceptable way, so that such actions are not repeated in the future.”
