Mississauga unanimously adopts Resolution on the Srebrenica genocide: Victory of truth and justice

(Patria) - The Assembly of the Canadian city of Mississauga unanimously adopted the Resolution on the Srebrenica genocide. The resolution preserves the memory of the victims of the genocide, strengthens our shared commitment to truth, justice, a culture of remembrance, peace and human dignity. Once again, Bosnian-Herzegovinian history was made in Canada, this time in the Mississauga Assembly.

On International Human Rights Day, December 10, as we mark 77 years since the adoption of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide and 77 years since the signing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Assembly of one of Canada's largest cities, Mississauga, unanimously adopted a Resolution declaring July 11 as Srebrenica Genocide Remembrance Day.

The historic adoption of the Resolution is a civilizational act, a victory of truth and justice, and a strong impetus for the institutionalization of a culture of remembrance.

By adopting the resolution on the Srebrenica genocide, Mississauga provides future generations with the opportunity to learn from the lessons of the Srebrenica genocide.

The voices of those who suffered the horrors of genocide as children, many of whom live in Mississauga and Canada, remind us that ending the denial of genocide is not only a political and legal obligation, but a collective moral duty. We must stand united in the fight for truth and justice. Let us be guided in that fight by the poignant reminder in the words of an innocent child asking its mother: "Mother, soldiers kill children with small bullets, don't they?".

This historic moment confirms Mississauga's commitment to annually remembering the dignity of the victims of the Srebrenica genocide, which claimed at least 8,372 lives.

Today, on International Human Rights Day, truth prevailed in Mississauga, the facts from the verdicts of international courts prevailed. From today, Mississauga will remember the victims of the Srebrenica genocide every year on July 11, raising awareness of that terrible crime.

The resolution is an opportunity for the surviving victims of the genocide, especially those victims living in Mississauga, to turn a new page in their lives and walk with their heads held high, proudly and with dignity, as victors over the criminals now rotting in prisons, as victors over the deniers of the genocide and the glorifiers of convicted war criminals, many of whom are in Canada.

The resolution is an opportunity for all socially responsible individuals in Mississauga to build a new relationship with the genocide on a civilizational level. Mississauga emerges from this stronger, and a strong Mississauga is a guarantee that genocide cannot be repeated.

We congratulate the city of Mississauga, Mayor Carolyn Parrish, the councilors of the Assembly, and especially the sponsor of the resolution, Councilor and Deputy Mayor John Kovac, on the adoption of a resolution that carries a huge and significant message for the victims of the Srebrenica genocide, as well as for Mississauga and Canada.

Thank you to the Bosnian-Herzegovinian diaspora of Mississauga, which, together with the Institute for Genocide Research Canada, worked strongly and knowledgeably on this important project.

With this resolution, Srebrenica is further cemented on the Canadian stage as a symbol of the fight for justice, truth, reconciliation, learning, genocide prevention, and ultimately a symbol of the fight against the denial of genocide and the glorification of convicted war criminals.

Remembering this terrible crime can help future generations in Mississauga not only to be properly informed about this crime, but also to more easily understand the world they live in, to understand that they are part of a world that enabled and allowed such a crime.

This is, after numerous Canadian contributions to the institutionalization of a culture of remembrance, an important step that Canada has taken to restore the trust of victims' families in the international justice system.

Court verdicts cannot be erased from human history, no matter how much someone tries.

This is a historic day for Mississauga, truth and justice have prevailed, said the Institute for Genocide Research Canada.