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Home Primary Lessons from Srebrenica Bearing Witness Baroness Warsi

Baroness Warsi

Baroness Sayeeda Warsi reflects on her visit to Srebrenica.

“There is nothing more moving and sobering than visiting the place where so many men and boys were murdered over that terrible period in July 1995. The scale of the atrocity really hits home when you see the rows upon rows of graves of the victims, and the names of so many lost lives carved out in the stone of the Potočari Memorial. What is so striking when you visit the town of Srebrenica is that it is so peaceful, quiet, and normal. It just shows that hatred can take hold anywhere in the world. I think if more people learnt about past atrocities, about the escalation of hatred, about the culmination of persecution, our world would be better guarded against repeating the mistakes of the past.

On my many visits to Bosnia I saw how inter-ethnic tensions were stifling regeneration and reconciliation. We must encourage communities to come together in Srebrenica and work for the common good. It’s a challenge that inspired me to set up Project Maja in Bosnia.

I wanted Parliamentary colleagues to learn about Srebrenica and to put something back into the communities affected by the war by working on social action projects in the country. It is important that, as politicians and policy makers, these awful events remain at the forefront of our minds. It is our duty to continue to help the victims’ families seek justice and rebuild their lives, to learn the consequences of hatred and to guard against discrimination.

The world has many lessons to learn from the Srebrenica genocide – the worst atrocity on European soil since the Holocaust. After pledging ‘never again’, once more hatred was able to take hold and rob so many people of their lives. The genocide shows us where hatred can lead if it is left unchecked. It shows that division and discrimination can take hold at any time in any place – even in a country as integrated as Bosnia was in the 1990s.

Srebrenica Memorial Day gives us a chance to stop and reflect upon the appalling atrocities that took place in the Bosnian enclave. It’s a day for us to think about the thousands of victims and their families; to show Britain’s solidarity with and support for Bosnia; and to reaffirm our resolve to ensure that this kind of tragedy can never, ever happen again.

In 2007, the International Court of Justice ruled that the atrocities carried out by Mladić’s forces constituted genocide. The act was committed in front of the eyes of the very international community that was there to prevent it, but did not. It failed to act in Srebrenica, as it had failed in Rwanda 12 months earlier. There cannot be true reconciliation until what happened in Srebrenica is accepted.”

Nov 17, 2014francesca cleverly
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November 17, 2014 Bearing Witness
Jackie Doyle-PriceCommander Mak Chishty
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SrebrenicaUKRemembering Srebrenica@SrebrenicaUK·
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New UK laws needed to stop hate speech and extremism, says report https://t.co/5h7yDTzvuz

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RrrrnessaArnesa Buljušmić-Kustura@Rrrrnessa·
1 Feb

I am working on a project on the Siege of Sarajevo and I am in need of Sarajevo Siege survivors, of all ages, to speak to. A casual conversation to start and the interview itself will be conducted with full sensitivity and professionalism. Please email: arnesa@srebrenica.org.uk

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RrrrnessaArnesa Buljušmić-Kustura@Rrrrnessa·
24 Feb

Last year we opened the very first Virtual Exhibition on the Bosnian genocide, this year we are expanding the exhibition and building a long-lasting resource for all. Creativity allows us to express our pain, grief, and trauma in many ways and I encourage all to submit your work! https://t.co/fVtkyNAiRH

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SrebrenicaUKRemembering Srebrenica@SrebrenicaUK·
24 Feb

We are re-opening our Exhibition "Remnants of Genocide" and are asking for submissions on the topics of genocide, refugee displacement, and our theme "Rebuilding Lives". Submit your art, poetry, photographs, and anything else for a chance to be featured during Memorial Week!

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SrebrenicaUKRemembering Srebrenica@SrebrenicaUK·
24 Feb

Our podcast on the genocide in Srebrenica has been listened by over 75,000 people! Join them by listening to the story of the worst atrocity on Europe’s soil since the Holocaust.

Honour the victims, by listening to the survivors!

https://t.co/ClCqkVfL6S

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 Latest news 
Remembering Srebrenica’s 2021 Theme: Rebuilding Lives
February 4, 2021

Every year, Remembering Srebrenica selects a theme that reflects an aspect of the genocide that must be commemorated, but also speaks to communities here in the UK.  The theme for 2021 is ‘Rebuilding Lives’.  The theme aims to honour the two million people who were displaced during the genocide and ethnic cleansing in Bosnia in […]

Hatidža Mehmedović – A mother’s legacy
November 26, 2020

Hatidža Mehmedović was born in the area surrounding Srebrenica in 1952. Before the genocide, she lived her entire life in Srebrenica, where she had married her childhood friend, Abdullah, and had two sons, Azmir and Almir. Hatidža and Abdullah built their home in Srebrenica and lived a simple life as a family before the war […]

“Untold Killing”: first serialised podcast about the genocide in Bosnia launched
October 22, 2020

London, United Kingdom — This past July marked 25 years since the genocide in Bosnia and Herzegovina, often referred to as the worst atrocity on Europe’s soil since the Holocaust. The story of Srebrenica, a small town in Bosnia, remains a dark stain on Europe’s history and yet the full details remain unknown to many.  […]

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