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Home Primary Lessons from Srebrenica Angus Robertson

Angus Robertson

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Angus Robertson, leader of the Scottish National Party Westminster Group, reflects on his visit to Srebrenica.

The attention of the world moves quickly as we are drawn from crisis to crisis. Recently the focus has been on Syria, and now the spotlight is on Ukraine. In a 24-hour media cycle age this is perfectly understandable, but there are some places and events that should not be forgotten or relegated from our consciousness.

Less than two decades ago the only genocide committed in Europe since the Second World War was under way in Bosnia-Herzegovina. To learn about the atrocities, I recently led a Scottish delegation to the region at the invitation of the UK charity Remembering Srebrenica. We heard from experts and survivors what happened in July 1995.

At that time thousands of mostly Muslim civilians were in the United Nations’ “safe haven” of Srebrenica and under attack by rebel Serbs. Forces under the command of General Ratko Mladić overran the town and separated the men and boys from the women. They were bused to different sites in their thousands and shot. Since the end of the war, unparalleled efforts have been made to identify the victims and support the search for justice. The International Commission on Missing Persons uses cutting-edge identification procedures to match remains through the DNA of relatives, so every year on the anniversary of the 11 July genocide families can bury loved ones.

Thousands of marble headstones are lined up behind a relief with the names of more than 8,000 victims.

Our delegation reflected a range of long-term connections between Scotland and Bosnia-Herzegovina. The Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland Rev Lorna Hood and her communications colleague Seonag MacKinnon represented the strong interest from the faith community. During the war Sergeant David Hamilton of the Scottish Police Federation drove aid convoys to Bosnia and award-winning journalist David Pratt reported from besieged Sarajevo. Glasgow Labour MP Ann McKechin and I both have long-standing interests in the region. I worked in the former Yugoslavia as a broadcaster during the conflict.

We were struck by the number of Scots who still have close associations with Bosnia-Herzegovina. Charity support spearheaded by Edinburgh Direct Aid and Denis Rutovitz still makes a huge difference. Scots play significant diplomatic roles on the ground and with international organisations, including the European Union and the International Commission on Missing Persons.

We must all play our part to remember the genocide committed against one of our oldest indigenous Muslim communities and ensure history doesn’t repeat itself. We must also give Bosnia a European perspective and the hope of economic, social and political progress.

Nov 17, 2014Remembering Srebrenica
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November 17, 2014 Bearing Witness, Lessons from SrebrenicaScotland
Stephen Williams MPAnn McKechin
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Rem Srebrenica ScotFollow

Rem Srebrenica Scot
RemSrebScotRem Srebrenica Scot@RemSrebScot·
11 Dec

A moving blog post from Sarah, following our delegation to Srebrenica last month. #rememberingscrebrenica #srebrenicanov19 #endeverydayhate

Action on Prejudice@AoP_Scotland

Where unchallenged prejudice can lead - the stark reality of the effects of discrimination and hate.

A blog by Sarah after visiting the Mothers of Srebrenica with @RemSrebScot @YouthLinkScot

#EndEverydayHate #RememberingSrebrenica

https://t.co/KKwH3EDBVr

37Twitter
RemSrebScotRem Srebrenica Scot@RemSrebScot·
10 Dec

This is a wonderful gesture from journalists around the world. Follow #Bosnianwarjournalists and #Bosnianwarreporters to support their campaign against @nobelprize's misguided aware to #PeterHandke, a genocide denier.

Janine di Giovanni@janinedigi

Here's what I saw in #Bosnia: mass rape, ethnic cleansing, genocide. Tomorrow, #Handke gets a #NobelPrize. He's a genocide denier. My colleagues and I are posting our #Bosnia stories to remind you of what happened there. #BosniaWarJournalists.
https://t.co/FA8iJ5WuSC

22Twitter
Rem Srebrenica Scot Retweeted
HayyanAyazHayyan Ayaz Bhabha@HayyanAyaz·
10 Dec

Journalists who covered the Bosnian War are protesting against the 2019 Nobel Literature Prize being awarded to #Srebrenica genocide denier, Peter Handke using the hashtag #BosniaWarJournalists while describing what they witnessed & reported on in the 1990s.
History is important. https://t.co/TLBvC63ton

3936Twitter
RemSrebScotRem Srebrenica Scot@RemSrebScot·
9 Dec

https://t.co/mDUvsFRPqD

1317Twitter
RemSrebScotRem Srebrenica Scot@RemSrebScot·
5 Dec

This will be an interesting event at GCU in Glasgow next week. Tickets are still available and it's free. https://t.co/pq7s0063LJ

22Twitter
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 The charity 
Remembering Srebrenica [Scotland] is a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation (SCIO) No SCO46540. Click here to find out more.
 Latest news 
Greater Manchester leaders pass motion to commemorate Srebrenica genocide
December 2, 2019

https://youtu.be/G5Z3pQSLbvk Council leaders have passed a motion to commemorate the victims of the Srebrenica genocide, in which more than 8,000 people, predominantly Muslim men and boys, were killed during the Bosnian War. Ahead of the 25th anniversary in July 2020, leaders unanimously backed the motion brought to the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) meeting on […]

Former war crimes investigator’s book covers his work at The Hague in the 1990s
November 29, 2019

Former forensic investigator, Ron Turnbull’s new book, ‘From the Flying Squad to Investigating War Crimes’ highlights his secondment to The Hague to continue war crime investigations in the Balkans as a UN investigator and Head of the Evidence Unit of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) assisting in the trials of Radovan Karadzic […]

UK Atrocity Prevention Working Group’s open letter to party leaders in 2019 General Election
November 29, 2019

The UK Atrocity Prevention Working Group have asked party leaders for clear commitments during the 2019 General Election to more effective, accountable prevention & protection approaches. Read the full text of the letter below: Dear party leaders, We write as members of the UK Civil Society Atrocity Prevention Working Group and as representatives of organisations […]

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