The glorification of war criminals is unacceptable as it insults victims and deepens their suffering, and jeopardises the peaceful future of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the US Embassy in Sarajevo said on Tuesday.

The statement issued by the embassy's public relations office said that further steps towards reconciliation, like the recent removal of plaque with the name of Radovan Karadzic, convicted war criminal, are “crucial for Bosnia and Herzegovina's Euro-Atlantic road” and called on the leaders to remove all symbols of division across the country and to turn towards a peaceful and inclusive future.

“The US government was very clear – the fact that the genocide was committed in Srebrenica in July 1995 is established and undeniable. The findings of multiple, competent, independent, international organizations, with the final decision of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), established that genocide was committed in Srebrenica in 1995, and that is an unquestionable fact. No attempt to deny genocide can change this truth,” the statement underlined.

The embassy expressed disappointment over the rhetoric that still questions these facts.

“We invite everyone to respect these court decisions, to courageously face the past and accept the truth, regardless of how painful it might be. As the biggest massacre in Europe after World War II and crime against the whole mankind, the genocide in Srebrenica must never be forgotten or ever be diminished,” it said.

“The war crime verdicts point at individual responsibility and do not refer to one people as a whole,” it added.