UN Chief Prosecutor Brammertz in Srebrenica: Genocide was a deliberate campaign, justice must continue

“Thirty years later, how do we honour the victims? We honour them by telling the truth,” Brammertz said. “What happened here was not an isolated crime; it was part of a deliberate and organised campaign of ethnic cleansing. The international community calls it by its rightful name: genocide.”

He described the killings as a premeditated and systemic assault:

“A criminal plan was set in motion. A decision was made to destroy Srebrenica.”

Brammertz underscored that perpetrators were brought before international courts, where survivors gave powerful testimony and justice was served in many cases. But he insisted that the work is far from over.

“To truly honour the victims, we must confront the truth. We must deliver more justice. We must find the missing; over a thousand people are still unaccounted for,” he said.

He also stressed the need for safe and dignified returns, and for places like Srebrenica to become symbols of peace, not destruction.

“Returnees must be able to live in peace. These places must become places of peace. The Bosniaks of Srebrenica were not destroyed,” Brammertz concluded.