First testimonies from Srebrenica survivors re-released for 30th genocide anniversary

The 30-minute video contains harrowing testimonies recorded just days after Bosnian Serb forces overran Srebrenica, a UN-designated safe zone, unleashing mass killings now recognised as genocide.

The footage captures raw scenes of despair: mothers in tears, women clutching infants, and terrified civilians describing the chaos, fear, and irreversible loss they had just endured. Many recount the names of missing husbands, sons, and brothers, clinging to hope or already describing the horror of what they witnessed: executions, torture, massacres, and suicides among men desperate to avoid capture.

One woman sobs as she recounts seeing men hang themselves or bash their heads on rocks to evade falling into enemy hands. A young man explains how he survived by leaping onto a bus filled with women.

A particularly striking segment includes a woman’s testimony of her direct encounter with General Ratko Mladic, the man later convicted of genocide, who had falsely assured them on camera that they would not be harmed.

The footage also documents a deep sense of betrayal. Survivors describe Bosnian Serb soldiers wearing UNPROFOR uniforms, the disarming of the Dutch peacekeepers, and the total abandonment of civilians, especially women and children, during the height of the massacre.

These early testimonies were recorded while the world remained largely silent. Today, they serve not only as a historic record but as a living reminder of enduring pain, unfulfilled justice, and the obligation never to forget, or allow genocide to happen again.