Kosovo commemorates the victims of Srebrenica: Without truth there is neither justice nor peace

With calls to protect historical truth, demands for justice for the victims, and rejection of the denial of crimes, the International Day of Reflection and Commemoration of the Srebrenica Genocide was marked, which the United Nations General Assembly has declared a day of remembrance for the victims of the 1995 genocide.

In honor of the victims of the genocide, to affirm truth and justice, and to convey a message of peace, the ceremony was organized by former Deputy Speaker of the Assembly of Kosovo Emilja Rexhepi. During the event, a seven-minute documentary dedicated to the Srebrenica massacre was also shown.

Rexhepi described this massacre as a symbol of one of the gravest crimes in Europe after the Second World War, stressing that genocide cannot be relativized or consigned to oblivion.

“Srebrenica is not simply a place on the map of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Srebrenica is the name of Europe’s greatest shame after the Second World War. It is the place where one human being killed another simply because he belonged to a different faith. Simply because he had a different name. Simply because he prayed to a different God, as they know how to say. It is the place where children were left without fathers, women without husbands, mothers without sons, while the whole world watched in silence as thousands upon thousands of people were being killed. And gentlemen, this is not merely a tragedy, nor some mistake, nor, as some know how to say, some unfortunate coincidence. This was genocide committed by their Serbian neighbors. Planned, organized and carried out systematically, confirmed by the decisions of international courts,” Rexhepi said.

She further stressed that even three decades after this crime, genocide denial continues, underlining that silence in the face of this tragedy is not acceptable.

Acting President Albulena Haxhiu said that Kosovo stands with Bosnia and Herzegovina and the families of the victims, emphasizing that truth is a condition for both justice and peace.

“We support their right to justice, to remembrance, and to a future in which the victims and their families are not forced to endlessly prove the crime, the loss, and the truth that the courts have already established. Without truth there can be neither justice nor peace. International justice for the crimes committed in Srebrenica has convicted eighty people. What remains to be judged today is the willingness of societies and institutions to break away from the legacy of crime. When convicted criminals are presented as heroes, not only is the past distorted. A message is sent to younger generations that crime can be justified, that the victim can be forgotten, and that responsibility can be turned into pride. This is unacceptable for any society that seeks peace, but also democracy. May the memory of the victims of the genocide be eternal,” Haxhiu said.

Acting Prime Minister Albin Kurti also delivered the message that genocide denial does not harm only the past, but also puts the future at risk.

“Denial distances the perpetrators from responsibility, forces victims to endlessly prove their pain, and presents justice as an obstacle to stability. In reality, stability is endangered precisely when societies do not distance themselves from those who killed in their name. Serbia’s responsibility for Srebrenica cannot be closed with silence, nor replaced with general language about reconciliation. The genocide was not an accidental deviation in the course of history, but the consequence of a policy that turned nationalism into a project, propaganda into preparation for violence, and the state apparatus into an instrument of ethnic cleansing,” Kurti said.

The ceremony was also attended by Xhemal Smajiq, a member of the Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

According to him, commemorating the Srebrenica genocide shows that the danger remains present whenever crimes are denied and ideologies of hatred and division are not stopped.

“Our obligation is not only to remember the victims, but also to build a society in which such evil will never happen again. Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo share the experience of the struggle for peace, freedom and the security of their citizens. Our two countries are connected by human, historical and political ties, but above all by the understanding of how important it is to respect international law and democratic values,” Smajiq said.

On the other hand, Albanian member of the Serbian Assembly Shaip Kamberi said that resolutions proposed for years in the Serbian Assembly to condemn the genocide in Srebrenica have not even been allowed to be discussed.

“Even today, 34 years later, Serbia has not made the necessary break from this policy. Denial of genocide, relativization of the decisions of international courts, and the glorification of war criminals continue to be part of public and political discourse in Serbia. This is not only irresponsibility toward the victims, it is a serious obstacle to reconciliation, stability and the European perspective of the region. For this reason, for years, together with the SDA deputies from Sandžak, I have proposed in the Serbian Parliament a resolution condemning the crime and genocide in Srebrenica. Discussion has never been allowed. But refusing debate does not change the truth. Genocide remains genocide, and the truth cannot be denied by silence,” Kamberi said.

The Srebrenica genocide, carried out in July 1995, has been recognized as genocide by international courts. More than 8,000 Bosniak men and boys were killed by Bosnian Serb forces, while July 11 is now marked internationally as a day of remembrance for the victims of this crime.