Almost 30 years after the genocide in Srebrenica, this remains one of the darkest chapters in our continent’s history, Council of Europe Secretary General Marija Pejcinovic Buric said Thursday, on the occasion of the 29th anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide.

“We think of the thousands of innocent men and boys, murdered solely because of their ethnicity and religion, and we honour their memory. The deep suffering of the families and loved ones of those killed stays with them. We pay tribute to their bravery and resilience.

Although this crime cannot be undone, we can learn from what happened and apply those lessons, so that such horrendous atrocities and human suffering are never repeated.

This means acknowledging the facts. There can be no place for denial, historical revisionism, or the glorification of convicted war criminals. Looking to the future, we must actively embrace equality, diversity and mutual respect.

We must also be clear that intolerance, hate speech and other forms of discrimination are a gateway to pain and suffering. The Council of Europe will continue to stand firmly against these and to promote human rights, democracy and the rule of law as the right way forward for our societies,” Pejcinovic Buric said.