Thousands of mourners commemorated the genocide committed 30 years ago for the Serbian Bosnian forces, one of the worst atrocities of Europe since World War II.
The remains of seven victims were buried during the commemorations, which mark the bloodiest episode of Bosnian’s inter -ethnic war in the 1990s.
They included those of Sejdalija Alic, one of the more than 8,000 Muslim men and children killed by Bosnian Serbian forces after they captured the eastern city on July 11, 1995.
His granddaughter Anela Alic, whose father was also killed in the massacre and was buried before, came to attend the funeral.
“I never saw my father … and today, my grandfather is being buried, just some of his bones, next to his son.
“It’s a deep sadness … I don’t have words to describe it,” added the 32 -year -old, crying. She was born in early 1994 after her pregnant mother was evacuated in a convoy of the unfortunate Red Cross.
The victims of Srebrenica, who at that time was a non -protected enclave, were buried in massive tombs. Until now, around 7,000 victims have been identified and buried, while around 1,000 are still missing.
In an attempt to cover up the crime, the Bosnian Serbian forces took away the remains to secondary mass graves, which caused many of the bodies to be destroyed by heavy machinery, according to experts.
‘Tombstone to caress’
“For 30 years we have brought pain in our souls,” said Munira Subasic, president of the Mothers Association of Srebrenica. She lost her husband, Hilmo and her 17 -year -old son, Nermin, in the massacre.
“Our children were killed, innocent, in the unprotected area. Europe and the world silently observed how our children were killed.”
The seven victims buried with white gravestones on Friday at the Memorial Center after a joint prayer included a 19 -year -old man and a 67 -year -old woman.
The remains of most victims are incomplete and, in some cases, consist only of one or two bones, experts said. Families have waited for years to bury their loved ones, hoping that more remains are.
But Mevlida Omerovic decided not to wait any longer to bury her husband, Hasib. He was killed at the age of 33, in one of the five mass execution sites in the massacre, the only atrocity of the Bosnian war in 1992-1995, which was qualified as a genocide by international justice institutions.
“Thirty years have passed and I have nothing to expect more,” said Omerovic, 55. She wants to visit her husband’s tomb, despite the fact that only her jaw will be on the coffin.
When visiting the tombs, the relatives of the victims try to find some comfort.
“I only have this tombstone to caress, pray to the side,” said Sefika Mustafi, standing next to the tombs of his children Enis and Salim, that both were teenagers when they were killed. “I would like to dream of them, but it doesn’t work. I said thousands of times, ‘come my children, come to my dream’ … I say it when I pray, when I come here, but it doesn’t work.”
Serbian denial
The Canadian veteran Daniel Chenard, deployed with the main maintenance of the UN to Bosnia from October 1993 to March 1994, when the Dutch troops took over, attended commemorations tormented by the feeling of guilt for decades.
“I forgave … I found peace. I always wanted to tell you (families of the victims):” I apologize … I’m sorry to abandon you. “
“We (UN troops) did what we could … but the tragedy still happened,” said the 58 -year -old man, crying.
The Bosnian Serbian political and military leaders Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic were sentenced to life imprisonment by an international court, especially by the genocide of Srebernica.
But Serbian and Bosnia Serbian leaders continue to deny that the massacre was a genocide.
Last year, the United Nations established an international day of memory to mark the genocide of Srebrenica, despite the protests of the Serbs Belgrade and Bosnio.
On Friday, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic expressed condolences to the families of the victims of Srebrenica on behalf of the citizens of Serbia, calling the massacre a “terrible crime.”
“We cannot change the past, but we must change the future,” he published in X.
