Srebrenica survivors warn against genocide denial and continue to preserve the memory of the victims

Bosnian Muslim men and boys were killed by Bosnian Serb forces in the eastern European city, even though it had been declared a “safe zone” by a UN Security Council resolution.

The United Nations later acknowledged collective responsibility for the failure to prevent the genocide in Srebrenica.

Three of the survivors said they are continuing their work at the Srebrenica Memorial Centre, as archivists at the Srebrenica Memorial Centre, to ensure the full truth about the genocide is told and preserved for generations.

The center is located on the same land where thousands of civilians have sought protection under the banner of United Nations peacekeeping forces.

Almasa Salihovic:“I was eight years old when I survived the genocide in Srebrenica. My brother was killed, as were my uncles on my mother’s side and my father’s side. The number of victims was 8,372 people.”

Uzeir Osmanovic: “On the main road there was a checkpoint, where men and boys were separated from others. After that, many of them were killed.”

Almasa Salihovic:“I firmly believe that remembering helps to heal, and it also helps the family to heal. Every time I tell my brother’s story or my family’s story, I feel that I am telling the story of all the victims. I chose to work at the Srebrenica Memorial Center five years ago because I always wanted to give a part of myself to memorialization efforts, and to contribute to preserving memory.”

Amra Begić Vazlić: “We left Srebrenica between 1992 and 1995, but in 2003 I decided to return and try to resume my life here. It was not easy. Most of those who decided to return were thinking of staying close to their loved ones, completing the identification of their remains, and burying them here in the memorial center, so that we would have a place to visit them.”

Uzeir Osmanović: “This is part of our history, and it is my duty to talk about it, to talk about the genocide in Srebrenica, and about everything that we lived here. It is not only my personal story, but the story of thousands of people who lived through the siege of this city. The center keeps personal belongings of the victims that were found in the mass graves next to their remains. This shoe belongs to my cousin. He was 16 years old when he was killed, and his two brothers were also killed.”

Almasa Salihovic:“What scares me most is denial of what happened. There are generations younger than me today who are growing up with a false narrative that says that genocide did not occur, that no war crime was committed, and that those who were killed here were just soldiers. As for us, we stick to the facts.”

Amra Begić Vazlić:“By definition, denial of genocide is the final stage of it. But unfortunately, in Bosnia, today we are talking about another stage, which is the glorification of war criminals.”