A UN resolution can support us, the survivors, in combating the denial of the Srebrenica genocide
UN Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide, Alice Nederitu, expressed her concern over recent incidents of denial of the genocide committed in Srebrenica against Bosnians and the glorification of convicted war criminals in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Nderitu said in a statement issued on Tuesday that the continued spread of genocide denial and the glorification of its perpetrators is worrying and will continue to obstruct sustainable reconciliation and peace in the region.
She added that these sentiments were expressed recently during the Republika Srpska National Day, which was held despite being deemed unconstitutional by the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The UN official stressed that the negative impact of genocide denial and glorification of war criminals cannot be underestimated.
She added that denying and distorting genocide and other atrocious crimes committed during the conflict nearly 30 years ago, and which the courts have conclusively proven, is “unacceptable,” stressing that this “only leads to increased division and hatred, and leads to “It leads to a decline in efforts to promote peace, truth and reconciliation.
She also pointed out that this negatively affects the victims and survivors and their tireless efforts to preserve the memory of those lost in these horrific crimes.
Promoting reconciliation and healing:
The United Nations Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide stressed in her statement that societies that do not fully acknowledge past genocides and do not deal with their devastating impact on individuals, families and communities “face the risk of such crimes occurring again.
She reported that, in her recent visits to Bosnia and Herzegovina, she met many victims and survivors, as well as new generations “who are actively working to promote reconciliation and recovery, starting with acknowledging the tragic reality of what happened in the past and the suffering caused by the perpetrators.
Nderitu stressed that their work needs “praise and support,” calling on all actors, especially those with influence, to speak out against genocide denial and promote a future of inclusion and understanding instead of division and hatred.
Hungary will vote against a United Nations resolution commemorating the 1995 genocide in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Hungarian Foreign Minister said on Wednesday, saying that would inflame tensions in the Balkan country and the surrounding region.
Peter Szijjarto was hosting Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik in the Hungarian capital, Budapest, where he accused the United Nations, as well as the High Representative of Bosnia and Herzegovina, of taking steps to destabilize the country, which was devastated by a deadly war between 1992 and 1995.
During that conflict, more than 8,000 Bosnian Muslims, including the elderly, women and children, were killed by the Bosnian Serb army in Srebrenica, an eastern Bosnian enclave, in what was considered one of the worst genocides of the twentieth century.
