President of the Association of Victims and Witnesses of Genocide: Implementation of genocide denial law has not produced any practical effect

He recalled that the 2021 decision of the High Representative clearly specified the reasons for adopting the law.

“The law was introduced for the purpose of preventing, that is, punishing individuals who have significant influence in public life, who have strong political support and who can in some way lead to extreme cases, even conflicts. Therefore, the law was not adopted because of those who have already been prosecuted. We have been pointing this out for five years now. Unfortunately, there is not much understanding from the competent institutions, primarily the Prosecutor’s Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Whether and when the issue of responsibility of those most responsible, for whom the law was adopted, will be raised remains to be seen in the coming period,” Tahirovic underlined.

Ahead of the commemoration of the 31st anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide, Tahirovic also spoke about the culture of remembrance and transitional justice, assessing that transitional justice has “stalled, unfortunately, in the chauvinistic and fascist attempts of certain political leaders to secure votes for themselves.”

He believes that the culture of remembrance in Bosnia and Herzegovina remains at the level of the non-governmental sector.

“There is absolutely no state interest nor any attempt to raise this to a higher level, and that is unfortunately our reality. The very fact that we do not have institutions willing to do this has brought us to the position we are in,” Tahirovicć said.

Speaking about the importance of the UN General Assembly Resolution on the Srebrenica genocide, two years after its adoption and designation of July 11 as the International Day of Reflection and Commemoration of the 1995 Srebrenica genocide, Tahirovic said it has had an effect.

“It has achieved recognition, meaning it has reached a level where more than 190 UN member states are aware of the Srebrenica genocide. All 190 countries will in one way or another mark July 11,” he said.

At the UN headquarters in New York, July 11 will be marked with the participation of representatives of victims’ associations, the Memorial Center, BiH institutions, and the Chair of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina Denis Becirovic.

“So in essence, the effect achieved by the Resolution outside the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina is quite positive. However, within Bosnia and Herzegovina, it is evident that those who are responsible and are supposed to act toward a population that experienced and survived genocide neither know nor are willing to learn much from what already exists – primarily judgments of international courts, as well as EU and UN resolutions. There is a lot to learn from, a lot that should be implemented in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and I believe this should serve as a model for further agreements, discussions, negotiations, and continuation of life in this region,” Tahirovic told FENA.

This year, the 31st anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide will be marked on July 11.

The central event is traditionally the commemoration and burial of identified victims at the Srebrenica-Potocari Memorial Center.

The official program also includes multi-day activities and memorial marches across the region. The commemoration is accompanied by numerous local and international events.