The seventh March of Peace and Commemoration on the occasion of the 31st anniversary of the genocide in Srebrenica was held today in the capital of France, organized by the association Solidarité Internationale Bosnia-Herzégovine-France (SIBH-France).
The peace march started at the Place de la République and ended at the Srebrenica Genocide Memorial at the Père-Lachaise cemetery. About 50 participants paid tribute to the victims of the biggest crime committed in Europe after the Second World War.
The commemoration was held in front of the monument that was ceremonially unveiled a year ago by the member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Denis Bećirović, and the then mayor of Paris. It is a unique monument among major European capitals, which represents a permanent symbol of memory of the victims of the genocide in Srebrenica.
During the commemoration, the names of the victims who will be buried on July 11 in the Srebrenica-Potočari Memorial Center were read. The presence of representatives of the Parisian authorities once again confirmed their commitment to preserving the culture of memory, honoring the victims of the genocide, and fighting against genocide denial and historical revisionism.
As part of the commemoration of the anniversary, SIBH-France, in cooperation with the Council of the 20th arrondissement of Paris, organized a half-day educational program dedicated to the history and culture of remembrance of the genocide in Srebrenica, intended for teachers and students of Parisian primary and secondary schools.
The lectures were given by Jean-René Ruez, the former chief investigator of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, who led the investigation into the genocide in Srebrenica, Professor Isabelle Delpla, a French philosopher and political scientist, an expert on Bosnia and Herzegovina, transitional justice and the politics of memory, and Bekir Husejinović, a surviving witness of the genocide, who shared his personal testimony with the audience.
With the aim of countering disinformation, denial of genocide and distortion of the history of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the SIBH-France association launched a special internet platform dedicated to documenting facts, educating the public and fighting against historical revisionism. The platform offers reliable information in the French language based on judgments of international courts, historical sources and testimonies of survivors.
The peace march and accompanying activities in Paris are part of the program marking the 31st anniversary of the genocide in Srebrenica, with the aim of preserving the historical truth, passing on memories to younger generations and strengthening the fight against denial of genocide, Klix.ba writes.
