Srebrenica genocide commemoration opens with powerful message: Civilisation failed the test of humanity

“Thirty years and yet it feels like yesterday when the world turned its back on us. When, in the heart of Europe, a genocide was deliberately organised and carried out before the eyes of the entire world. Exactly 30 years ago, civilisation failed the test of humanity,” Fejzic said, standing before the graves of thousands of victims.

“We are standing here today among the headstones of our loved ones. We stand on our sacred land, soaked with the blood of innocent people, in a silence louder than any speech. We stand with pain, but also with pride,” he continued.

Fejzic emphasised that the truth has not been buried, despite decades of denial.

“For 30 years, we have lived with the truth of genocide. For 30 years, we have listened to lies, denial, and humiliation. But we have neither forgotten nor given up, and we never will. Twelve-, thirteen-, and fourteen-year-old boys were murdered here. Over 600 underage victims. More than 8,000 names. They were killed for one reason only, because they were Bosniaks,” Fejzic said.

In Potocari, a funeral prayer will be held on Friday for seven more genocide victims, whose remains were identified and will now be laid to rest with dignity. Among those buried are two young men, Avdic Senajid and Mujic Hariz, both born in 1976 and just 19 years old at the time of their murder. Their remains were discovered in mass graves that had been relocated in an attempt to hide evidence of the crime.

Also buried today were Bektic Fata (1928), the oldest victim laid to rest this year, Omerovic Hasib (1961), Alic Sejdalija (1961), Gabeljic Rifet (1964), and Mujcic Amir (1964).