Bosnia and Herzegovina on Thursday marked the 30th anniversary of the Srebrenica massacre, the worst atrocity in Europe since World War II, with solemn commemorations at the Srebrenica-Potocari Memorial Centre. The pain remains as raw as ever for survivors and families of the more than 8,000 Muslim men and boys slaughtered by Bosnian Serb forces in July 1995.
The massacre occurred in what was supposed to be a United Nations-protected zone in eastern Bosnia, during the final months of the 1992–1995 Bosnian War. Under the command of General Ratko Mladic, thousands of Muslim men and boys were executed and buried in mass graves. While nearly 7,000 victims have been identified and buried, about 1,000 remain missing.
This year, the remains of seven victims will be laid to rest, including two 19-year-old men and a 67-year-old woman. For some, the burial is painfully symbolic. Mirzeta Karic will bury her father with only his lower jawbone recovered. “I’ve been able to endure everything, but I think this funeral will be the worst,” she said. Her father, son, uncles, and cousins were all killed trying to escape the massacre.
Despite international recognition of the genocide including life sentences for Mladic and Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic—domestic denial persists. Political leaders in Republika Srpska, Bosnia’s Serb-majority entity, continue to reject the term “genocide.” President Milorad Dodik is among the most vocal deniers, mentioned 42 times in 305 documented cases of genocide denial in 2024 alone.
On Saturday, parallel commemorations will be held in Bratunac for more than 3,200 Bosnian Serb victims of the war. Portraits of around 600 of them were recently displayed along roads near the Srebrenica Memorial Centre an act seen by some as a provocation.
Srebrenica Memorial Centre director Emir Suljagic said, “These people are not participating in the same debate. They are still in 1995.” Still, he sees progress: “We have won a very important battle—the battle for international recognition,” referring to the UN’s establishment of July 11 as an international day of remembrance.
