The memorial center in Potočari near Srebrenica, which includes a memorial and a cemetery where the victims of the genocide of July 1995 were buried, is celebrating its XNUMXth anniversary. broadcast by Radio Free Europe.
The memorial center was founded by the decision of the former high representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Wolfgang Petritč, in 2000 as a place of remembrance for the victims of the genocide in Srebrenica, which was committed by the Army of the Republic of Srpska in July 1995.
It was officially opened by former US President Bill Clinton on September 20, 2003.
In the same year, in March, the first collective funeral and burial of the first 600 identified victims of the genocide took place. Then followed the second funeral on July 11, when 282 victims were buried, and the third collective funeral on September 20, when 107 people were buried.
More than 8.000 Bosniaks were killed in the genocide, according to the verdicts of international courts and courts in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and 6.751 victims have been buried in the Memorial Center in Potočari to date.
So far, more than 50 people have been sentenced to more than 700 years in prison for genocide and crimes in Srebrenica.
Today, the memorial center in Potočari pays special attention to research activities. Work is being done on the collection of victims' personal items, testimonies and analyzes of verdicts for genocide and crimes against humanity.
The director of the Center, Emir Suljagić, previously told Radio Free Europe that about 50 people from Srebrenica who lost a family member or survived the genocide were engaged in the projects.
"We are doing all this in order to bear witness to what happened to us and to prevent this from happening again," said Suljagić.
The Memorial Center also develops educational programs - lectures for pupils and students, connecting with many educational institutions and organizations in the country and region, in order to identify possible threats or narratives that could lead to a new genocide.
As part of the center, there is also a library that has relevant literature related to the genocide against Bosniaks.
The offensive on Srebrenica began on July 6, 1995, with an attack on Dutch observation posts and lasted until July 11, when the commander-in-chief of the VRS, Ratko Mladić, announced in front of television cameras that he was "gifting this victory to the Serbian people in honor of Vidovdan".
Buses for "packages" (a code name for future victims) were secured in advance, as were the places of execution: schools, centers of culture, warehouses and factory halls; football field in Bratunac. Places for mass graves and "technique": excavators, backhoes and trucks for transporting corpses were also prepared in advance.
Read the entire text of "Srebrenica for beginners". here.
AE/Radio Slobodna Evropa/Radio Sarajevo/Vijesti.ba
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