UN War Crimes Court President in Potocari: Truth was established in The Hague

“This is an important day. We must remember what the truth is and that truth was established in the courtrooms of the Hague Tribunal,” Santana told N1.

She emphasised that the most powerful tool against genocide denial lies in respecting and promoting the facts confirmed in international trials.

“The best way to counter genocide denial is to stick to the findings of the Hague Tribunal. One of the ways we do this is by focusing on education. Although we cannot directly prosecute denial, the Mechanism has a strong outreach program that trains history teachers on how to use the Hague Tribunal archives to teach students what happened during the wars of the 1990s,” Santana explained.

Although the ICTY has completed its caseload, Santana noted that the Mechanism’s Office of the Prosecutor continues to support national judiciaries handling remaining war crimes cases.

“The greatest burden rests on communities affected by conflict; they are the ones who must cope with the legacy of the past. The Mechanism stands ready to support them,” she concluded.

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).