In a recently published article by Encyclopedia Britannica, the term “massacre” was initially used to describe the events in Srebrenica in 1995 instead of the word “genocide.”
As a result, the Institute For Research of Genocide Canada (IGC) sent a letter to the editorial board of Britannica demanding that the correct term “genocide” be used. In their letter, IGC stated: “The International Court of Justice (ICJ), the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY), and many national courts have determined that the intent of the perpetrators and the scale of the crime that occurred in Srebrenica in July 1995 meets the definition of genocide. The genocide in Srebrenica, therefore, is not based on political, historical, or expert opinions of any politicians, historians, or lawyers, but on facts legally established by international courts in The Hague. This year, the United Nations (UN) General Assembly adopted a resolution declaring July 11th as the International Day of Reflection and Commemoration of the Srebrenica Genocide.”
In their first response to IGC, the Britannica editorial board wrote: “Based on the statements in your letter, I sought the opinion of the signed author of this article, R. Jeffrey Smith, who originally wrote it for us over a decade ago. I greatly appreciate the information in your letter, which has prompted us to seriously reassess this issue.”
In a follow-up response, IGC received confirmation that the respected encyclopedia would now use the term “genocide” when referring to Srebrenica instead of “massacre.”
The culture of remembrance based on the institutional use of legal, scientific, and historical facts about the Srebrenica genocide is becoming a strategy against forgetting. If we were to forget Srebrenica, we would mortgage our future. We must learn lessons from the past to better prepare for what tomorrow brings.
Truth and justice are integral parts of a better future for Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) and all its citizens and constituent peoples.
