Tired of Their Own Memory: Is the Commemoration of the Srebrenica Genocide Reserved for Delegations, and Where Are the Victims!?

Written by: Rasim Belko

If yesterday's commemoration of the 30th anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide is any indication, Bosniaks have grown tired of their own memory and organising events on this matter. Because yesterday in Potočari we witnessed the chaos that arises when committee meetings are treated as a space for wasting time and socialising.

“Why wouldn’t I be careful, don’t make me stand in front of that camera now. Our killed are there, we are the victims, and they won’t let us enter the Memorial Centre.” This was the reaction of a grandmother who watched the final farewell of seven victims of the genocide committed against Bosniaks in Srebrenica through a metal fence.

Because she could not enter the Memorial Centre. And not only her, but about a thousand people who came to Potočari to pay dignified, human tribute to the victims of the genocide.

That much was creaking organisationally was already evident on the way to Potočari. Endless columns of vehicles and dozens of “extended” delegations rushing under rotating lights towards Srebrenica. And chances are most of them left Sarajevo at 8 for the commemoration scheduled at 9:30.

Besides the seriously compromised safety on the roads to Srebrenica, problems intensified when all those vehicles approached Potočari. Some even tried to profit, charging 10 KM for parking. For everyone else not accompanied by rotating lights to Potočari, a meadow was reserved. Yes, some three kilometres from Potočari, a meadow with only one access via a small bridge became a parking lot for several hundred cars.

Columns of people flowed from that spot towards Potočari, and the RS MUP ensured everyone walked along the edge of the road, because delegations have priority. At one point, it became clear how wrong it was that mixed police teams or even EUFOR were not in charge of security in that inner circle around Potočari.

We were moving along the right side of the road, and upon approaching a catering facility, three members of the RS MUP signalled us to move to the left side. Because, presumably, members of the MUP convicted of genocide do not want anyone to insult or even glance wrongly at drunk Serbs in front of a tavern near Potočari.

Main gate, well-guarded for delegations

In Potočari, chaos truly erupted. Side entrances were clogged, the main one reserved for delegations. As if it were some summit, not a farewell to victims and a commemoration. Complete chaos reigned outside the gates of the Memorial Centre. The police, and there were several police agencies, were most concerned that no delegation be a second or two late, even pushing people off the pavement where those without a “ticket” to the Memorial were trying to perform a religious rite or simply bow to the victims.

The most shameful scene was seen when the religious part of the programme began. The fence at the main entrance parted, and the crowd turned into near mayhem of police, bodyguards, and “protected” individuals. And yes, I can understand those in the delegations who are not Muslims and out of respect for the religious rite decided to move away, but I cannot comprehend the need of Bosniak Muslim political representatives who de facto flee the Memorial Centre during the Friday prayer or funeral prayer. All those delegations made the chaotic situation unbearable. Because the grandmother from the beginning of this story still could not enter the Memorial Centre, presumably so as not to inconvenience the remaining delegations. Today I read that even imams were rushing under rotating lights to Potočari and jostling with cyclists who rode 500 kilometres to pay their respects.

Even two lanes are too few; for delegations, even a traffic light could be arranged

General chaos ensued after the programme ended. Because there were many delegations, and everyone wanted to be the first to escape Potočari. Since I had to walk three kilometres to the parking lot, I witnessed a complete traffic blockade, far greater than the one Adnan Šteta creates for us in Sarajevo Canton when he adjusts traffic lights.

It took us three hours to get from the meadow reserved for “ordinary” people to the roadway. Because whoever chose the location sought a place with a narrow bridge, so narrow that larger cars drive on the edge, and there is no other exit. It would have been better if they had chosen randomly; they would have made fewer mistakes.

And finally, perhaps subjectively, but it truly seemed that the RS MUP members were conducting the entire security process in a way that, by harassing the stuck people, they would provoke an incident among those who came to pay tribute to the victims of the genocide. This especially applies to those RS MUP members, about ten of them, who stood at the parking lot exit and silently watched the complete collapse, without any desire to speed things up.

In summary, the Organising Committee for the commemoration of the Srebrenica genocide, whoever comprises it in the future, must ensure that the mistakes of 2025 are not repeated, because neither Potočari, nor Srebrenica, and least of all the victims and their families, need a commemoration under rotating lights!