Emir Suljagic, the director of the Srebrenica Memorial Centre, has warned that the people who worked on the Srebrenica Genocide Denial Report 2023, which detected main public figures and media outlets denying the Srebrenica genocide over the past year, are now targeted by the “regime media in Republika Srpska (Bosnia's Serb-majority part),” which he assessed as the “beginning of the retaliation.”

“It is an unprecedented attack on individuals, both through the so-called mainstream Republika Srpska media as well as through regional portals. Bosnian returnees, people who actually live here with their families and in their homes, are especially targeted,” said Suljagic a day after the report was published in Bosnia and Herzegovina and across the region.

He also adressed foreign embassies in Bosnia and Herzegovina via social media, to warn about the threats.

“We want to bring attention to the alarming rise in threats against advocates for the truth about the Srebrenica genocide. The recent surge in hostility towards truth-tellers and researchers is deeply concerning. Disturbingly, these threats are not only direct but also extend to advocates’ families and professional lives. These instances undermine the principles of justice, truth, and reconciliation,” said Suljagic, addressing the US Embassy, the UK Embassy, the Office of the High Representative and the EU Delegation in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Suljagic warned about a “troubling pattern of hatred being fueled by certain local media outlets, culminating in an unsafe environment for those standing up against historical revisionism.”

“The security situation has deteriorated to the point where some advocates might have to relocate for safety. This involves securing new jobs, housing, and schools – a displacement of their lives, all due to their fight for truth. Let's stand together against the attempts to deny the Srebrenica genocide. Let's commit to truth and justice, while ensuring the safety of those who voice these principles,” he said.

Annual report on Srebrenica genocide deniers has Dodik on top of the list

For the third year in a row, the Srebrenica Memorial Centre published a research document ‘Srebrenica Genocide Denial Report 2023’, which recorded 90 cases of denial of genocide in Srebrenica in the period from May 2022 to May 2023, with President of Republika Srpska entity Milorad Dodik topping the list and one new name on it – Croatian President Zoran Milanovic.

The name of the Croatian President was assessed as a “notable addition to the list of deniers,” and according to the report Milanovic is “increasingly involved in this practice, which represents a significant departure from previous reports.”