Serbia resists UN plan to commemorate Srebrenica genocide
On April 17, a draft UN resolution designating July 11 as “The International Day of Reflection and Remembrance of the 1995 Srebrenica Genocide” will be brought to the UN Assembly for review. On May 2, the 193 member states of the UN General Assembly will vote on the proposal. The resolution, which is being drafted by a coalition of Rwanda, Germany, France, and the United States, is partially based on a resolution that was created for the genocide against the Tutsi people in Rwanda.
UN General Assembly plan
Even though the planned document’s whole contents are yet unknown, the Bosnian Serbs of the Republika Srpska and the Serbian government have responded to it with great venom. During a visit to Belgrade, Milorad Dodik, the president of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Serbian entity, said that “Bosnia and Herzegovina may not survive” the UN resolution. Aleksandar Vučić, the nationalist-conservative president of Serbia, objected to the resolution’s approval process, stating that the UN Assembly, not the UN Security Council, should vote on it. According to reports, President Aleksandar Vucic has objected to the resolution designating the genocide and its possible voting in the General Assembly rather than the Security Council, where Russia, Serbia’s key partner, may veto the text. The Serbian delegation to the UN informed PassBlue that Vucic is anticipated in New York City on April 22–23, but they did not offer any other information. Vucic may be traveling because of the Council’s April 22 meeting on Kosovo, according to a Balkan diplomat.
Serbia’s objections
Milorad Dodik, the president of Republika Srpska, stated that “Bosnia and Herzegovina may not survive” the UN General Assembly resolution during a recent visit to Belgrade, the capital of Serbia, according to EuroNews. He disputes that the slaughter in Srebrenica happened. Over the course of ten days in July 1995, Bosnian Serb soldiers massacred at least 8,372 defenseless men and boys in Srebrenica. The executions took place in officially recognized “safe areas,” which were supposed to be guarded by UN forces. The locations varied, from a warehouse to an earthen pit. But when Bosnian Serb soldiers swiftly surrounded them, they chose to ignore it. Genocide is defined as the “means” via multiple acts meant to eliminate, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group by the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. Member states are in the process of disseminating the basic draft wording that would legally sanction the Srebrenica memorial through a vote in the General Assembly scheduled for early May. Leading the charge to formally commemorate the genocide are Rwanda and Germany, who will make a secret presentation to UN members on April 17. As one diplomat put it, the formal remembrance would bridge the gap for the two genocides that were prosecuted in the 1990s: Rwanda and Srebrenica.
Regional reconciliation challenges
Bosnia-Herzegovina’s mission, which is one of the resolution’s primary sponsors, informed PassBlue that it supports “every word in the text.” As the International Court of Justice in The Hague deliberates on a contentious case brought by South Africa alleging Israel of committing genocide in Gaza, efforts are being made to commemorate the genocide that occurred in Srebrenica. As of right now, the court has ruled that what Israel is doing in the Palestinian enclave may qualify as genocide. PassBlue has obtained a draft resolution from the General Assembly that proposes to establish July 11 as the International Day of Reflection and Commemoration. This day will fall on July 11, 2025, which is the 30th anniversary of the Srebrenica tragedy. The proposal denounces the denial of genocide and the exaltation of those found guilty of crimes against humanity, war crimes, and genocide.
International response
The General Assembly resolution that established the International Day of Reflection on the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsis in Rwanda served as inspiration for portions of this resolution. Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Chile, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Jordan, Liechtenstein, Malaysia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Rwanda, Slovenia, Türkiye, and the United States are among the cross-regional countries who support it. Supporters are certain that the vote will not be close, despite the fact that it is too soon to determine the outcome. According to the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), Srebrenica was the site of genocide against Bosnian Muslims in 1995. The UN Security Council founded the court in 1993 with the intention of trying war criminals who committed atrocities during the 1990s Bosnian conflicts.
Conclusion
In conclusion, “It irreversibly changed the landscape of international humanitarian law, provided victims an opportunity to voice the horrors they witnessed and experienced, and proved that those suspected of bearing the greatest responsibility for atrocities committed during armed conflicts can be called to account,” according to the court’s website, during the tribunal’s 1993–2017 mandate.
