5/2/2023 0 Comments Miro semberac![]() Leaders in the region have publicly denied the genocide, even calling Srebrenica a hoax and a lie. To add to this burden, genocide denial and the glorification of war criminals inflict tremendous suffering on the survivors and their families. I have witnessed the pain of the survivors who must face the reality that some of those alleged to have murdered their loved ones can still walk the streets freely. It is deeply distressing that so many alleged perpetrators of genocide have still not faced justice. More troublingly, a number of alleged genocidaires have fled to Serbia and found safe haven there, including political leaders and military commanders. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, authorities have made important progress, although 3,000 more cases are yet to be processed, including in relation to Srebrenica. The baton has now passed to national courts in the region following the closure of the ICTY in 2017. Radovan Karadžić, right, and Ratko Mladić in 1993. Yet much more remains to be done to achieve justice and reconciliation in the region. ![]() Those convicted of the crimes in Srebrenica include the former Bosnian Serb president, Radovan Karadžić, and the former commander of the main staff of the Bosnian Serb army, Ratko Mladić, whose case is currently on appeal. It was planned at the highest political and military leadership level and implemented through coordinated action to eliminate the Bosnian Muslim population of Srebrenica. The judgments of the tribunal are clear: genocide was committed in Srebrenica. The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), created by the United Nations security council – and where I served 10 years as chief prosecutor – played its part. Yet the world has come to know the truth, thanks to the testimonies of brave survivors and the efforts of the victims’ families. In a macabre attempt to conceal their crimes, Bosnian Serb leaders ordered the original mass graves to be dug up, and the remains hidden again. They are among nearly 1,000 men and boys from Srebrenica who remain missing today. Bosnian Serb forces captured them and, under interrogation, they revealed the assistance provided by the father and son, who were then imprisoned for their gesture of humanity.Īlmir, Sakib, Emin and Fuad survived Branjevo Farm, but they didn’t survive their second capture. His son, also a member of the Bosnian Serb army, directed them to Bosnian Muslim-held territory.īut they never made it to safety. ![]() Instead of reporting them to his military unit, he fed and clothed them. Later, a Bosnian Serb soldier feeding his cattle discovered the four covered in blood and sheltering under an apple tree. Miraculously they emerged alive from the heaps of bodies massacred by automatic gunfire. ![]() Fifteen-year-old Almir, together with Sakib, Emin, and Fuad, were among the 1,200 men and boys taken to one of the killing fields, Branjevo military farm. ![]()
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