A memorial to the victims of the Srebrenica genocide will be inaugurated in Paris in July, during the commemoration of the 30th anniversary of the genocide.
Almost a year after the United Nations (UN) adopted the Resolution on the Srebrenica genocide, the opening of a memorial to the victims of the Srebrenica genocide has been confirmed in Paris, the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BIRN BiH) announced.
The resolution was the decisive reason for the authorities of the French capital to approve the construction of the monument, at the initiative of the Association “International Solidarity of BiH – France” (SIBH-France).
The monument is expected to be erected in early July and officially inaugurated on July 11, and the initiative for its construction was submitted back in 2022.
The statement states that since 2016, Srebrenica Street has existed in Paris, marked by a plaque that speaks of the crime that occurred in this city in July 1995, and the idea for the monument came after the organizers of the commemoration of the anniversary of the genocide in Paris had been pointing out to the authorities for years that the previous place of commemoration was not suitable and dignified for commemorating and paying tribute to the victims.
After many years of lobbying and discussions with government representatives, and seeking support from other related associations, SIBH-France received permission to build a monument at the famous cemetery.
“The project for the monument in the 20th arrondissement of Paris and the inclusion of the International Day of Remembrance of Genocide in the Paris memorial calendar were unanimously voted by the councilors present at the Paris Council,” explained Jacques-Olivier David, president of the SIBH-France association.
The monument to the victims of the Srebrenica genocide will be built next to the monument to the victims of the 1994 Rwandan genocide, when around 800,000 people were killed in this country, as well as other monuments, such as the one in honor of French soldiers who died during World War II.
After the approval of the city authorities, the preparation of the monument began in BiH, and the author will be sculptor Admir Halilović. The monument itself will have a text about the genocide written on it, as well as a map of BiH. An online fundraising campaign is underway to finance the construction, transport, installation and maintenance of the monument.
The city of Paris has also contributed to the construction of the monument by donating the land on which it will be built.
The opening of this memorial will be the central part of this year’s commemoration of the Srebrenica Genocide Day in Paris, which will be held in late June and early July, but, in addition, SIBH-France is planning other parts of the program within which the crime of genocide will be studied.
“During this day, there will be speeches, a continuous reading of the names of 8,372 victims of genocide, testimony from a survivor of the column, as well as a day of study on the qualification of the crime of genocide,” adds David.
Traditionally, a peace march will be held on the streets of Paris, starting from the Serbian Embassy in France and then passing all the way to Republic Square, in order to remind people of democratic values and the fight for their protection and promotion.
After the monument is built, SIBH’s next activities will be focused on changing the text that currently stands on the plaque in Srebrenica Street, which states that the monument honors “victims of massacre” – instead of genocide.
The Hague Tribunal, the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the judiciaries in Serbia and Croatia have so far sentenced a total of 54 people to 781 years and five life sentences for genocide, crimes against humanity and other crimes committed in Srebrenica in July 1995.
Through several verdicts of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, it has been established that genocide was committed in Srebrenica in July 1995, in which more than 8,372 men and boys were killed.
