Announcement on the occasion of the 26th anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide
On the occasion of the 26th anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide, Women in Black organizes a vigil in mourning and silence on Saturday, 10th July, in Republic Square in Belgrade, from 19:30 to 20:30. During the vigil, together with art collectives ‘Škart’ and Dah Theater the stage action Srebrenica - the name of genocide - will also be performed.
The Srebrenica genocide is the biggest war crime since World War II in Europe. The regime of S. Milošević is complicit in the genocide by providing enormous political, military and logistical-financial assistance to the Army of the Republika Srpska. On this occasion, we remind you that:
- The state of Serbia is the first and so far, the only country in the world to be declared responsible for violating the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide by a ruling of the International Court of Justice (2007).
- The Hague Tribunal has, beyond any doubt, proven the individual criminal responsibility of a large number of members of Serbian armed formations and political institutions that acted in the spirit of the realization of the territorial project of Greater Serbia, and the genocide in Srebrenica was part of that project.
- On June 8, 2021, the Appeals Chamber of the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Courts in The Hague upheld the first instance verdict against General R. Mladić and sentenced him to life imprisonment for genocide and crimes against humanity against the non-Serb population during the war in BH.
- The views of the regime's representatives on the verdict against R. Mladić confirm the strong link between the ideology and practice of crimes and the current Serbian authorities, the continuity of political, moral and cultural patterns with the regime under which genocide was committed - a state organized crime.
- With a shameful and senseless interpretation of the verdict against R. Mladić as an act directed against the ‘Serbian people’, the representatives of the regime led by A. Vučić conceal their political and moral responsibility for their past, when they were active participants in the criminal policy of the 90s. In this way, they turn the entire nation into a hostage of crime and criminal policy, and primarily insult the dignity of the victims of genocide.
- • The state policy of genocide denial is still in place. This is mostly due to the persistent refusal of the President of the Republic, A. Vučić, to name the crime in Srebrenica as genocide. In that, he is followed not only by members of the ruling Coalition, but also by a significant part of the Opposition. Fans of war criminals and genocide deniers play a key role in almost all institutions; regime media have unlimited space to celebrate criminals as heroes, and the absence of compassion for victims of genocide prevails in public discourse.
On this occasion, we reiterate our demands that:
- The Srebrenica genocide be recognized, primarily as a sign of respect of the victims’ dignity, and not only as one of the preconditions on Serbia's path to accession to the European Union.
- The denial of genocide and all crimes against humanity and war crimes be qualified as a crime.
- The President and all other representatives of the state stop denying genocide and all other war crimes in Bosnia and Herzegovina and beyond.
- July 11th be declared as the Day of Remembrance of the Srebrenica Genocide.
- The state of Serbia respect the decisions of international courts and court-established facts.
- The state of Serbia cooperate with the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Courts, which includes full acceptance of the decisions and rulings of this Court in The Hague.
- Regional cooperation be established in order to efficiently prosecute war criminals.
- The state of Serbia abandon the policy of fomenting regional instability - by interfering in the internal affairs of neighboring countries primarily Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro.
In accordance with the policy of solidarity and responsibility, Women in Black will take part in the commemoration / funeral in Potočari / Srebrenica on July 11th, where, together with the families of the victims of the Srebrenica genocide, we will attend the burial of the remains of 19 victims.
July 9th 2021