IGK asks UN to declare July 11 International Day of Remembrance for the Victims of the Srebrenica Genocide

(Patria) - The Institute for Genocide Research Canada IGK has sent a letter to the UN General Assembly requesting that July 11 be declared the International Day of Remembrance for the Victims of the Srebrenica Genocide.

The letter, signed by Dr. Emir Ramić, Director of IGK, reads, among other things:

"It is high time that July 11 be declared the International Day of Remembrance for the Victims of the Srebrenica Genocide. The Srebrenica genocide remains one of the darkest chapters in the history of Europe and the world. The claim that genocide was committed in Srebrenica is not a matter of opinion; it is a historical fact legally established by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, and later by the International Court of Justice and other domestic courts.

Unfortunately, many people do not know what happened in Srebrenica, and many who do know deny it. Denial is the greatest insult to the victims of genocide and a serious threat to truth, justice, the culture of remembrance, stability, and peace in the region and beyond.

The continuous and growing culture of denial of the Srebrenica genocide must be eradicated.

Political leaders in the region, especially the political leaders of the Republic of Serbia and the Bosnian administrative area of the Republika Srpska, bear primary responsibility for opposing the denial of genocide. Instead of promoting a culture of truth, reconciliation, justice, and empathy towards the victims, they propagate hatred and denial of the Srebrenica genocide, as well as the internationally legally established facts.
Teaching about genocide and preserving the memory of the victims is a crucial first step towards truth and reconciliation.

Faced with widespread denial of the genocide, it is high time that the international community, especially the United Nations, recognize July 11 as the official International Day of Remembrance for the Victims of the Srebrenica Genocide.

Declaring the International Day of Remembrance for the Victims of the Srebrenica Genocide would show that the United Nations and the international community stand on the side of justice and truth and are in solidarity with the victims and survivors of the Srebrenica genocide. That is the minimum we can ask for and the minimum we expect from the international community. Please stand with us to honor the victims and survivors of the Srebrenica genocide and help us stop the hatred from which the denial of genocide stems. In this way, you will help prevent future genocides that could happen to other minorities in our increasingly polarized world burdened by violence.

IGK asks the Canadian ambassador to the United Nations to support the proposal to establish the International Day of Remembrance for the Victims of the Srebrenica Genocide at this year's session of the General Assembly".

IGK also appeals to the Ambassador of Bosnia and Herzegovina to the United Nations, Zlatko Lagumdžija, to undertake enhanced activities towards the realization of this extremely important task.

Let us make joint efforts to permanently inscribe the genocide that occurred in Srebrenica into the annals of humanity. Both for the sake of remembrance and as a warning.

The letter was sent to the Secretary-General of the United Nations, the President of the United Nations General Assembly, the President of the United Nations Security Council, the Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Canada to the United Nations in New York, and the Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Bosnia and Herzegovina to the United Nations in New York.