Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Independence Day began in Srebrenica, on Thursday, with a public forum organized by the Municipal Board of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) of Srebrenica. The forum was held on the topic of the Importance of celebrating the Independence Day of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

At the forum, Ahmo Mehmedovic, the president of the SDP Srebrenica committee, first introduced the guests to numerous citizens of Srebrenica.

The first to speak was DZevad Hadzic, a delegate in the House of Peoples of the Federation (FBiH) entity and President of SDP Tuzla Cantonal Board, who greeted those present and congratulated them on Independence Day, presenting a short chronology of what happened on March 1, 1992.

“However, looking at the past makes the most sense if we are focused on a brighter, better future, but unfortunately, today's BIH still has many unfulfilled goals to make it strong, functional and modern…”, he said, among other things.

Nerin Dizdar, the FBiH Minister for Displaced Persons and Refugees and political director of the SDP BiH emphasized that he was speaking as a minister:

“The state's job is to do something more for its people than it is doing now. Unfortunately, we all contributed to those destructive policies. When the minister allows himself to be the minister of the party more than of the state, then he also participates in the destruction of that state. When the official takes it for himself that he is the ruler of the money that belongs to the people, he can decide who should receive a donation, who should not, whom he likes, whom he doesn't like, who is from his party, who is not, then we are all betraying this country…”

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He also spoke to N1 about the importance of celebrating Independence Day in Srebrenica:

“The state of Bosnia and Herzegovina is not defended in Sarajevo. Sarajevo is our capital, but it is defended and guarded on the outskirts, especially in Srebrenica. Srebrenica is the place where there was an attempt to kill Bosnia and Herzegovina and everything that it stands for in the most brutal way. The presence of these people here, primarily the returnees, shows that they defy those destructive ideologies, that Srebrenica defies those ideologies. Srebrenica is still alive, with our due respect to the victims of genocide, and I believe that it is first of all the duty of all of us to pay attention to the guardians of Bosnia and Herzegovina's statehood, namely the returnees.”

The Government of Bosnia’s Republika Srpska (RS) entity disputes March 1 as Independence Day, and that is why this date is celebrated only in one part of the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina, that is, in the FBiH, but also in Srebrenica.

Independence Day has been celebrated in Srebrenica for years without any problems or incidents, but also without the participation of Serb representatives in the official program.

The commemoration of the Independence Day of Bosnia and Herzegovina in Srebrenica continues on Friday, March 1, with a traditional program, first at the Potocari Srebrenica Memorial Center with the laying of flowers and paying respects to the victims of genocide. This is followed by a parade of children and citizens through the streets of Srebrenica, and it ends with an appropriate cultural and artistic program in the large hall of the Srebrenica Cultural Center.

Three months ago in Srebrenica, Hamdija Fejzic was dismissed from the position of deputy mayor, and his participation in the organization of the Independence Day and Statehood Day of Bosnia and Herzegovina was mentioned in the explanation as one of the reasons for his dismissal.

Hamdija Fejzic was dismissed at the Assembly session on the initiative of the mayor Mladen Grujicic, and 12 Serb councilors voted in favour of this decision, while the Bosniak representatives did not vote because they left the session.

It remains to be seen if any of the Bosniaks from the municipal administration will be sanctioned this time for their participation in the commemoration.