A commemoration for Srebrenica entitled “Srebrenica: Remembering and honouring the victims of the genocide” was held at the United Nations in New York yesterday. The event was organised by 17 member states. At the invitation of H.E. Mirsada Čolaković, the Permanent Representative of Bosnia and Herzegovina to the UN, the ICTY Prosecutor Serge Brammertz made a keynote statement at the commemoration.
The list of keynote speakers also included Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, President of the UN General Assembly Sam Kahamba Kutesa, Adisada Dudić, who as a child fled her home near Srebrenica, Ambassador Samantha Power, U.S. Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Matthew Rycroft, UK Permanent Representative to the UN and Rabi Arthur Schneier, founder of the The Appeal of Conscience Foundation.
Prosecutor Brammertz underscored, "To respect the past, we must call Srebrenica by its name, genocide. To build the future, we must speak out with one voice when it is denied." He further noted that "20 years ago, there was only a hope for justice. Today, it is increasingly a reality." The ICTY has convicted 14 individuals for crimes committed in Srebrenica, while Radovan Karadžić and Ratko Mladić are currently on trial for the Srebrenica genocide, among other crimes. The Prosecutor concluded by saying: "We have it in our power to show every single victim of the conflicts that justice can be done. More than the words we offer today, that would be a truly fitting tribute to the victims of Srebrenica and other crimes in the former Yugoslavia."
