#OTD on 9th May 2014, Sarajevo City Hall - Vijećnica - reopened, having being destroyed by the Serbs in 1992. The destruction of Vijećnica involved the loss of about 2 million articles from the collection of the National Library, an attack on the cultural and historical wealth of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
#RememberingSrebrenica
#OTD On 3rd April 1992, the Siege of Mostar began. The first lasting until June. Many buildings were destroyed, and 90,000 citizens displaced.
In the second siege, from 1993-4, further suffering was inflicted on the city, including the destruction of the famous Stari Most. #RememberingSrebrenica
Image: Diego Sideburns/Flickr (Creative Commons)
Today marks 30 years since the Srebrenica genocide, when 8,372 Bosniak men and boys were murdered for their identity. We remember the victims, honour survivors, and commit to stand against hatred, denial & division.
#Srebrenica30
Read our full statement: https://t.co/Iz21Cqyxey
Today's "Letter From Bosnia" comes from Mevlida Jusic. "I must never forget what happened because it's the least I can do for my husband and brothers. I pass the truth about their deaths on to my son because he needs to know what evil and hate can do." #Srebrenica30
“Those who committed atrocities will keep on living their lives peacefully as long as we are silent.” Elmedin’s Letter from Bosnia reminds us: silence enables denial. Speak up for Zvornik, Srebrenica, Prijedor, and beyond. #Srebrenica30
“We slept at a devastated factory in Potočari... We heard the screams of raped women - mothers and sisters. Some were killed in front of their loved ones.” Kadefa survived. She and her family were later transported to free territory. #Srebrenica30
Today’s Letter from Bosnia comes from our Elmina Kulasic, who was just a child when she became imprisoned in Trnoplje concentration camp “The genocide in BiH did not happen overnight. It was systematically planned. I survived to be the voice for those that did not”. #Srebrenica30
Many events are taking place across the UK to mark the 30th anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide. From memorials to exhibitions and performances, communities are coming together to remember and reflect.
📍 Find an event near you:
🔗 https://t.co/Z5BUuO337S
#Srebrenica30
@LordWajidKhan@AngelaRayner@mhclg@DPMoffice “There can be no peace without justice. Let us never stay silent in the face of injustice… Where silence falls, suffering rises. We must raise our voices so that truth and humanity prevail.”
President Komšić calls us to speak, remember, and defend human dignity.
#Srebrenica30
“This is not just a song - it is a voice from beyond. A son, speaking to his mother, saying: ‘I am still with you.’”
@LordWajidKhan introduces “White Flower” performed by Lejla Jusić & Elvir Solak. A message from the white gravestones of Srebrenica to the heart of the Cathedral.
#OnThisDay, we remember the victims of the Pionirska Street Fire—59 Bosniak women, children, and elderly, burned alive in Višegrad in 1992. One of the most horrific crimes of the Bosnian genocide. #Visegrad#BosnianGenocide
On Friday 30 May, Remembering Srebrenica will commemorate White Armband Day with a poignant event at the Embassy of Bosnia and Herzegovina in London, hosted by His Excellency Ambassador Osman Topčagić.
#OnThisDay in 2011, Ratko Mladić, “the Butcher of Bosnia”, was arrested after years in hiding. He was indicted for genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity across Bosnia and Herzegovina.