Thousands attend the reburial of Srebrenica Victims

Among the victims was a 69-year-old woman and several children. The youngest, Nesib Muhic, was 11-years-old when he was killed.
 
“Potocari is the saddest place in Europe today,” said Minister of Security Sadik Ahmetovic, addressing families of victims and members of the international community. But, he said, coming to terms with the past is the only way to move forward.   “All three nations must acknowledge their criminals so that the society can move forward.”
 
Following noon prayer, the Reid-ul-Ulema, Mustafa Ceric, read the names of each victim as they were taken to their graves.
 
“There are still so many women crying who are crying and waiting to find out where their lost loves ones are,” said Reis Ceric at the ceremony. “The pain of Srebrenica will never go away. There are still so many children growing up without fathers and brothers. Everything is the same as it was sixteen years ago in Potocari, except our belief in God, which gets stronger every day.”
 
The 613 bodies buried today were identified over the course of the last year using DNA analysis.  Because many of the bodies were buried and then dug up and re-buried by Serb soldiers trying to hide evidence of their crimes, the process of identification has been slow.
 
“The atrocities did not end with the massacre, but continued for weeks and months after, as perpetrators tried to hide the evidence of their evil acts,” said Kathryne Bomberger, head of the International Commission on Missing Persons, the organisation responsible for identifying the bones of the missing.
 
Those who spoke at the commemoration focused on the need for regional recognition of the genocide.
 
“What happened in Srebrenica is not about perceptions or feelings, it is about facts,” said Emir Suljagic, a Srebrenica survivor and Minister of Education in the Sarajevo Canton who addressed a group of students conducting research in Srebrenica.  “It is about the litres of petrol used, the number of bullet cartridges fired, the names of schools where victims were held and tortured before they were killed, and the number of mass graves that have been found in this region.”
 
U.S. Ambassador Patrick Moon echoed this sentiment in his remarks before the burial ceremony.  “We are somewhat consoled since last year because Ratko Mladic has been arrested and will face justice.  But we must continue to send a strong message to those who deny genocide or seek to diminish suffering, denying something cannot be denied, they interfere with the path to justice, forgiveness and reconciliation,” said Moon.
 
Croatian President Ivo Josipovic also attended the commemoration.  He sent a message of regional peace and tolerance.  “I am with you first and foremost as a man, to find a quiet force for the future and honour those who have died as a result of this cruel crime,” he told the assembled.
 
No official representatives from the government of the Republic of Serbia attended the Commemoration. Members of the Women in Black, a women’s organisation in Serbia promoting tolerance attended the commemoration, are critical of their government for not acknowledging the genocide in Bosnia.
 
“We come here every year to show our solidarity with the men and towards victims of genocide and to remind about the responsibility of our country concerning that matter,” said Natasa Lambic, a member of the organisation.  “There are no official representatives from Serbia here, we believe that is very important.  After the arrest of Ratko Mladic, Serbian officials should use every opportunity to show that they are committed to facing the facts.”
 
Srebrenica was declared a United Nations Safe Haven but was overrun on July 11, 1995 by the Army of the Republika Srpska when the Dutch UN battalion withdrew from the area.  In the week that followed, an estimated 8,100 Bosnian Muslims perished.  
 
The International Commission on Missing Persons estimates that another 1,500 bodies are yet to be found.