The United Kingdom's National Day of Remembrance for the Srebrenica Genocide was marked on Wednesday at the Office for Foreign Affairs, Commonwealth and Development of the UK. The commemoration was graced by the presence of numerous representatives of the country's authorities, survivors of the genocide, politicians and diplomats, as well as representatives of civic associations and journalists. The commemoration was also attended by the BiH Presidency Chair, Denis Becirovic.

The event was organized by the Remembering Srebrenica Association and was hosted by the newly elected Labor Minister Stephen Doughty.

The Remembering Srebrenica Chair, Waqar Azmi, welcomed those present at one of the hundreds of events held during the Srebrenica Memorial Week in the United Kingdom, to honour the victims of the genocide.

In his address, Minister Doughty said that he was deeply moved during his visit to Srebrenica several years ago, and that the experience strengthened his commitment to a cause that means a lot to him.

He also said that the commemoration is a touching reminder of the need to resolve hatred and division.

The speech of Sara Hukic, a survivor of the genocide, attracted special attention.

The pain doesn't diminish. I pray and hope for that life-changing phone call where they tell me that they've found even just one bone…we live with the haunted reality that closure may never be a reality,” Hukic said, sharing her moving testimony.

The Chairman of the Remembering Srebrenica Association for Northern Ireland, Peeter Osborne, assessed the commemoration on the occasion of the 29th anniversary of the genocide in Srebrenica as “very powerful”, and the addresses of Hukic and Chair Becirovic as “particularly impactful”.

Member of the House of Lords and former minister in the Government of Great Britain, Sayeeda Warsi, emphasized that it is necessary to remain principled and fight against injustice when we see it.

“Remembering Srebrenica was born out of guilt – that my generation and those in power didn’t do more to stop what became a genocide. To learn the lessons of the past – to inform our present and to always be ever vigilant to the rise of hate and dehumanisation of people.

Never before have these lessons mattered more,” Warsi underscored.

Some British MPs who attended the commemoration also spoke at the event.

David Taylor noted that it was an honour for him to attend this event and hear the speeches.

He said that he promoted awareness of Srebrenica among the Labor Party and that now as an MP he would do everything in his power to promote responsibility to protect in the Parliament.