25 years after the genocide of Srebrenica (July 11)

On Friday, the Society for Threatened Peoples (STP) commemorated the victims of the genocide in Srebrenica with a memorial service and a wreath-laying ceremony at the Neue Wache in Berlin.

Interreligious prayers were led by Meho Travljanin of the congregation of the Bosniaks, Pastor Corinna Zisselsberger of the Protestant Church of Berlin, Brandenburg and Silesian Upper Lusatia, and Pastor Lutz Nehk, the Representative for Remembrance Culture and Memorial Site Work at the Archdiocese of Berlin. The silent wreath-laying ceremony at the Käthe Kollwitz Memorial was followed by speeches from Her Excellency Mrs. Jadranka Winbow, Ambassador of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and MP Michael Brand, spokesman of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group for human rights and humanitarian aid and member of the STP. Between the prayers and speeches, a children's choir sang Bosnian songs of mourning. The event was co-organized by the Islamic Cultural Centre in Berlin and the association (e.V.) Südost Kultur.

A few photos of the event can be found in the attachment to this announcement, and we will gladly provide you with more pictures upon request.

"Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the commemoration event was planned on a smaller scale this year. For the grieving families however, the ceremony was no less important," stated Jasna Causevic, STP expert on genocide prevention and the Responsibility to Protect. "Even now, 25 years after the genocide crimes, genocide denial is still widespread in the Western Balkans – and in Germany as well. This day reminds us of our responsibility to speak up against this form of hate speech and to work towards peace and understanding."

Eight more newly identified victims of the genocide in Srebrenica will be buried by their grieving families at the cemetery of the Srebrenica Memorial-Potocari on Saturday (July 11, 2020). The victims – Sead Hasanovic, Alija Suljic, Hasan Pezic, Hasib Hasanovic, Zuhdija Avdagic, Bajro Salihovic, Ibrahim Zukanovic, and Salko Ibiševic – were between 23 and 70 years old when they became victims of the genocide of July 11, 1995, exactly 25 years ago.

The STP recently published a new documentary on Srebrenica and the 25 years after the genocide, emphasizing that children and women are now marginalized and traumatized once again. The documentary covers a quarter of a century of suffering that the survivors had to endure since 1995. The documentary can be downloaded here.