Today, the United Nations is voting on resolution on Srebrenica, and how the people of Srebrenica view it was investigated by reporters Mother of Vela.
In 1993, the UN Security Council declared the Srebrenica enclave a protected zone. Serbian forces occupied it on July 11, 1995. During the occupation of the enclave, the army and police of Republika Srpska and the special Serbian military unit Skorpioni killed 8372 Bosniak men and boys.
The International Tribunal for War Crimes Committed in the Territory of the Former Yugoslavia, the European Parliament and the Office of the High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina have labeled this crime as genocide.
So far, 6.751 victims have been buried in the Memorial Center of Srebrenica Potočari, and around 1.000 of those killed are still being searched for. So far, about 50 people have been sentenced to more than 700 years in prison for genocide and crimes in Srebrenica.
Today, the UN General Assembly votes on the Resolution on the Srebrenica Genocide, which declares July 11 as the International Day of Remembrance of the Srebrenica Genocide and requests the inclusion of judicially established facts about the genocide in educational programs.
The resolution was proposed by Germany and Rwanda. The final version included the amendment of Montenegro stating that according to international law, criminal responsibility for genocide is individualized and cannot be attributed to any ethnic, religious or other group or community as a whole.
"Ghost Town"
Today, Srebrenica is known as a "ghost town". There is no bakery, butcher, clothing or shoe store in the town, and there is no bus station. Everyday there are two cafes and a few betting shops, and after 17 pm on the deserted and empty streets only stray dogs, the occasional police patrol and the occasional car.
Cultural and entertainment life is limited to a few days of the "Days of Srebrenica" event once a year and some donated concerts or plays, but even that rarely, because there are no people, especially young people, who might come to watch or listen to it.
You can't even buy a daily newspaper in Srebrenica. In order to raise tensions and create fear among people, especially in election years, politicians often abuse Srebrenica. The people who live here are burdened by political turmoil and tensions, which are fueled by politicians every day. There is silence here on many important topics.
Interlocutors on the subject of the resolution, especially among the Srebrenica Serbs, are hard to find. In most cases, people wave their hand with "don't ask me".
"Symbols"ča gesture and satisfaction for the victims"
Adem Mehmedović survived the genocide, then as an eight-year-old, and this is how he remembers July 1995: "You go with the baby, and the little one goes this way," a soldier told my mother. Mom froze in shock. Another soldier said: 'Let that child go, there are enough of them'. The one who was leading me kicked me towards my mother. She led me into the bus, which meant salvation."
Ten years ago, Mehmedović returned to Srebrenica, where today he lives and works in the municipal administration. About the Resolution on Srebrenica, he told DW: "It is only a symbolic gesture and satisfaction for the victims." Because the UN certainly bears part of the responsibility for the genocide in Srebrenica. We must be aware that nothing in particular will change, especially in Srebrenica. That's why I don't see a reason for such reactions of politics from the RS and Serbia".
"One side cannot always be at fault"
A Serb is talking to us, but on the condition that we don't mention his name, so that he won't have problems because there are already enough of them, as he says. During the war he was a Serbian soldier. For DW, he points out that genocide did not happen in Srebrenica because "if genocide is the intention to exterminate and destroy an entire people, it did not happen here."
"Women, children, younger men were transported by buses, and those who went into the forest with rifles were killed." From the beginning of the war, they (Bosniaks) killed everything alive in Serbian villages, from children in cradles to women and incapacitated old people. I was an eyewitness from Zalazje, Bjelovac, Kravica, Skelano... Not a single Western diplomat ever came to the anniversaries of the Serbs' suffering. And I guess those were human beings. We didn't kill ourselves, did we? All this must be approached realistically and honestly. It cannot always be the fault of only one side. Those who were killed have a name and a surname and should be held accountable, no matter what their name is. Everyone should say what exactly happened and who is to blame for what, to answer individually," this Serb from Srebrenica (name known to the editorial staff) told DW.
"Serbia should have launched the initiative itself"
Suljo Čakanović spent the war in Srebrenica as a paramedic. He returned to his city a long time ago and works at the Health Center. He told DW: "Serbia itself should have started the initiative for this resolution and thus take the burden off the Serbian people, and condemn individuals, and not be a haven for war criminals."
He adds that "the resolution does not bind anyone, but Bosniaks are eagerly awaiting it, because it still recommends that the UN member countries constantly mention it, and that it becomes part of the education system."
Suljo Čakanović emphasizes that "it is good that July 11 will be the day of remembrance of genocide and innocent victims".
"No one is doing anything to remove the main destroyer"
Mirsad Mustafić worked as a professor of Serbo-Croatian in the former Yugoslavia and is certainly the most prolific writer from Srebrenica. These days, he is promoting his 20th novel, "We were not meant to be". The theme is the war and the wartime destinies of the people of Srebrenica, as in the previous 19 books he has published so far. He tells DW:
"The overall political environment has taken on disturbing tones. Fear creeps in among people. The resolution will ultimately change nothing. And the birds on the branch know who is obstructing the progress of this country. No one is doing anything to remove the main destroyer and condemn those who incite him. How will the returnees feel when they listen to threats and pouring out the fire of nationalism of the Serbian entity leader every day?" says Mirsad.
"Resolution is an important step"
Dutchman Ger Dyzings is a professor of social anthropology at the University of Regensburg, and was an expert at the Hague Tribunal and a member of the research group of the Dutch Institute for War Documentation (NIOD) in Amsterdam that prepared a report on the role of Dutch soldiers in Srebrenica. He has been coming to Srebrenica for years and during his recent stay he said:
"The resolution on Srebrenica is an extremely important step. Memorial Day is the least we can do as a sign of true humanity and an act of solidarity with the families and survivors who must live with irreparable loss, pain and trauma every day. In addition, it is absolutely necessary to oppose the denial of genocide by politicians and public figures on the Serbian side. The argument that this was a war crime and not genocide is half-hearted and disingenuous, as they continue to glorify the key architects and perpetrators of what they themselves have declared a war crime. The goal of the resolution is not to demonize Serbs, but to say 'never again!' for such horrors, which, unfortunately, every collective is potentially capable of."
