Intentional provocation at Srebrenica Memorial Centre sparks outrage

Brane Stanivukovic, a citizen of the Republic of Serbia from Sremska Mitrovica who publicly identifies as a member of the Chetnik movement, stopped at the entrance to the Memorial Center. Wearing a sajkaca cap with a Chetnik insignia (kokarda), he shouted insults and messages claiming that the area is "all Serbian land."

Victims' associations emphasize that this was not an isolated incident but a deliberate, organized provocation with an ideological motive. The Potocari Memorial Center is a site of truth protected by domestic and international law. Any denial, relativization, or insult regarding the crimes committed there represents a direct attack on the dignity of the victims and the constitutional order of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Official reactions

Camil Durakovic, the Vice President of the entity of Republika Srpska, strongly condemned the act as a direct provocation to genocide victims and their families. He emphasized that the Memorial Center is not only a place of remembrance but a sacred site representing the final resting place of innocent victims and a symbol of the truth about the crime.

Durakovic stated that providing space for ideologies of hatred in front of a site where murdered women, men, and children lie is deeply offensive. He noted that such behaviour does not constitute freedom of speech but is rather the incitement of hatred and a violation of laws prohibiting the denial of genocide and the glorification of war criminals.

Furthermore, Durakovic highlighted a significant concern: the individual was allowed to leave Bosnia peacefully without any sanctions after the incident. He warned that this sends a message of impunity and encourages future incidents.

Significance of the incident

Genocide victims' associations remind the public that such incidents are part of a broader pattern of genocide denial, the glorification of war crimes, and the continuous intimidation of returnees. They assert that these provocations must not be ignored or treated as insignificant, as they directly threaten peace, justice, and coexistence in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The Srebrenica-Potocari Memorial Centre must remain a safe space of dignity and memory, protected from extremist provocations. The associations conclude that any leniency toward such acts encourages further attacks on genocide victims and their families.