European Parliament adopts resolution on Srebrenica condemning genocide

The European Parliament today adopted a Resolution commemorating all victims of the Srebrenica genocide and atrocities committed during the wars in former Yugoslavia, and paying tribute to all victims, expressing sympathy and solidarity with the victims' families, many of whom live without definitive confirmation of the fate of their relatives, reports the BiH news agency Patria.

The Resolution "strongly condemns the Srebrenica genocide, firmly states that such horrific crimes must never be repeated and will do everything in its power to prevent the recurrence of such acts, rejects all forms of denial, relativization or misrepresentation of that genocide".

At the proposal of MEP Ivan Jakovčić, amendments to the Resolution were also adopted, in which the European Parliament expresses regret that the UN Security Council did not adopt a resolution on Srebrenica yesterday and welcomes the unanimous decision of the Council of Ministers of BiH to declare July 11 as a Day of Mourning throughout the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The Resolution, which was debated in the European Parliament this morning, emphasizes the need for political representatives in Bosnia and Herzegovina to acknowledge the past in order to work together for a better future for all citizens of the country. It highlights the importance of the role that neighboring countries, religious authorities, civil society, art, culture, media, and educational systems can play in this difficult process.

- The importance of the work done by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in this regard is emphasized, as is the need to take all necessary measures to expedite trials and appeals and to conclude them without undue delay, and it is reiterated that greater attention must be paid to war crimes trials at the national level - the Resolution states.

The document, agreed upon by the leading parliamentary groups in the European Parliament, reiterates the European Union's commitment to the European perspective and the further accession process of Bosnia and Herzegovina and all Western Balkan countries to the European Union. It also states that regional cooperation and the European integration process are the best ways to reconciliation and overcoming hatred and divisions.

The European Parliament Resolution calls for the development of educational and cultural programs that promote understanding of the causes of these atrocities and raise awareness of the need to foster peace and promote human rights and interfaith tolerance.

With this Resolution, the European Parliament "expresses its support for civil society organizations such as the Mothers of the Srebrenica and Žepa Enclaves for their crucial role in raising awareness and building broader foundations for reconciliation among all citizens of the country".

It was stated that the reason for adopting this document is the commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the genocide and ethnic cleansing that occurred during the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Srebrenica region, which should "once again remind us of the dangers of extreme forms of nationalism and intolerance in society, which were further exacerbated within the war".

The Resolution recalls that "Bosnian Serb forces under the command of General Ratko Mladić and paramilitary units, including irregular police units, summarily executed more than 8,000 Muslim men and boys who sought protection in the area under the control of United Nations Protection Forces (UNPROFOR) during the days of massacre after the fall of Srebrenica; given that almost 30,000 women, children, and the elderly were forcibly expelled in a large-scale ethnic cleansing campaign, making this event the largest war crime committed in Europe since the end of World War II".

- The Srebrenica massacre as genocide has been recognized by both the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in the Appeals Chamber's judgment in the case of Prosecutor v. Radislav Krstić of April 19, 2004, and the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the case concerning the application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (Bosnia and Herzegovina v. Serbia and Montenegro) of February 27, 2007 - the Resolution states.

It is also stated that on January 30 of this year, the ICTY "upheld the sentences of five high-ranking officers of the Bosnian Serb army convicted of participating in the 1995 Srebrenica genocide, as some of the convicted officers were directly subordinate to the former Bosnian Serb military commander Ratko Mladić, who is currently on trial at the ICTY for crimes including genocide".

The Resolution will be forwarded to the European Council, the European Commission, the governments of EU member states, the government and parliament of BiH and its entities, and the governments and parliaments of the Western Balkan countries.