Hahn opens exhibition on Srebrenica women in Brussels

On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the genocide in Srebrenica, European Union Commissioner for Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn opened a photo exhibition entitled "Women of Srebrenica" in Brussels on July 1, reports the BH News Agency Patria.

- The genocide in Srebrenica has left a scar not only on Southeastern Europe but on Europe as a whole. It has left countless deep wounds. It imposes an obligation on all of us never to forget - said Hahn.

The exhibition displays the faces of 40 women from Srebrenica who lost their loved ones in the massacre that occurred in July 1995. Each portrait by photographer Sead Husić invites exhibition visitors to pay tribute to the victims, by dedicating a minute of silence and respect, through the eyes of those who survived and some who remained in Srebrenica.

The aim of this exhibition is also to highlight the idea that reconciliation remains a fundamental goal of the European Union's engagement in Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as in the entire Western Balkans.

- It is now important to build trust between the peoples of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the entire region. Therefore, I wish for this anniversary, which is primarily a commemoration of the victims of genocide, to also be an impetus for broader reconciliation.

The reconciliation of society at the local, state, and regional levels is also achieved through war crimes trials. In order to support such an important undertaking and to bring all war criminals to justice successfully, the European Union has supported numerous initiatives over the past twenty years, including the work of the International Commission on Missing Persons and the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. Several activities have also been carried out to strengthen the capacities of courts and prosecutor's offices throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina in processing unresolved war crimes cases, as well as consolidating the capacities of these bodies in terms of witness care and witness protection and support.

A group of civil society organizations from Bosnia and Herzegovina, dealing with human rights issues and assisting genocide victims, participated in the opening ceremony, as part of the "People to People" program funded by Civil Society Support.

The exhibition is open at the European Commission headquarters (Berlaymont building) from July 1 to July 24, 2015.