On the occasion of the 29th anniversary of the genocide in Srebrenica, 76 NGOs from Montenegro, which advocated for Montenegro to co-sponsor the UN Resolution on the International Day of Remembrance for the Victims of the Srebrenica Genocide, pay tribute to the victims of the Srebrenica genocide, express solidarity with their families and survivors, and call on the Montenegrin authorities to:
- proclaim a Day of Remembrance for the Genocide in Srebrenica and ensure its regular official observance in line with the UN Resolution proclaiming 11 July as the International Day of Remembrance of the 1995 Genocide in Srebrenica, the 2021 Resolution of the Parliament of Montenegro on the Genocide in Srebrenica, and the 2009 Declaration of the Parliament of Montenegro on accepting the European Parliament’s Resolution on Srebrenica;
- supplement history textbooks for appropriate age groups with objective information about this crime and Montenegro’s role in the wars in the former Yugoslavia during the 1990s;
- find and prosecute the unpunished perpetrators and accomplices of the genocide in Srebrenica and other war crimes;
- condemn and suppress the denial of genocide, the glorification of its perpetrators, and all other hate speech that represents the final stage of genocide and a prelude to new conflicts and crimes;
- support programmes of dealing with the past and promoting human rights, especially banning discrimination and combating all forms of hatred and intolerance in accordance with the Constitution of Montenegro;
- invest greater effort in the reconciliation process in the region, based on confronting the past and respecting the rights of the victims of genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes.
We remind that, starting on 11 July 1995, in mass executions in the area of Srebrenica, the Army of the Republika Srpska, under the command of Ratko Mladić, killed over 8,000 Bosniak men and boys. This is the largest crime committed on European soil since the Second World War.
This crime was established by the judgments of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and the International Court of Justice (ICJ). National courts in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Croatia, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and the Netherlands have also determined that members of the Army of the Republika Srpska, as well as a special unit of the Republic of Serbia (“Scorpions”), committed genocide and other war crimes in Srebrenica in July 1995.
The ICTY and the International Residual Mechanism sentenced 21 people for the crimes in Srebrenica, of which seven were convicted of genocide based on over 1,500 testimonies and about 28,000 pieces of evidence. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, 31 individuals have been finally convicted for these acts, of which 14 for genocide, in Serbia five, and in Croatia two. We emphasize that whether genocide was committed or not is exclusively a legal, not a political, category. The responsibility for the execution of the genocide in Srebrenica was determined before the ICTY in proceedings involving a total of 46 judges from 34 countries. The ICJ judgment was rendered by 15 judges from various countries.
So far, Montenegro has adopted a Declaration on accepting the European Parliament’s Resolution on Srebrenica (2009) and a Resolution on the Genocide in Srebrenica (2021), in which it strongly condemned the genocide, voted for the UN Resolution on the International Day of Remembrance of the Genocide in Srebrenica, and dismissed its Minister of Justice, Human and Minority Rights, Vladimir Leposavić, for relativizing this genocide. These were all the right steps toward a safer future for our country and the region within the European Union.
On the other hand, pro-Serbian nationalist parties, which unfortunately deny the genocide and use every opportunity to unjustifiably politicize it, participate in the government of Montenegro. We oppose the policy of “a crime for a crime,” condemn the adoption of “counter-resolutions,” and do not want new generations to grow up indoctrinated with hatred and a sense of provincial inferiority that clashes with the world, starting from our closest neighbors.
We all must take responsibility for shaping a future in which coming generations will be spared further suffering. The victims of the crimes obligate us to advocate for justice, truth, and reconciliation, and to actively create a society that respects every individual, regardless of their national, religious, or ethnic affiliation.
Although there will always be those who refuse to accept uncomfortable truths, the progress of any society requires facing the truth and confronting the past.
Representatives of our organizations will join the commemoration of the Day of Remembrance for Srebrenica on 11 July at the Memorial Park for Civilian Victims in Pobrežje, in Podgorica, organized by the Bosniak Council of Montenegro.
Signatories (in alphabetical order):
- Human Rights Action (HRA), Tea Gorjanc Prelević
- Active Zone, Miloš Marković
- Agency for Local Democracy, Kerim Međedović
- Antifascists of Cetinje, Filip Kuzman
- Association SPECTRA, Jovan Ulićević
- Balkan Sector, Aner Salihović
- Bona fide, Pljevlja, Sabina Talović
- Bosniak Cultural Center, Kemal Zoronjić
- Center for Women’s and Peace Education ANIMA, Ervina Dabižinović
- Centre for Civic Education (CCE), Daliborka Uljarević
- Centre for Democracy and Human Rights (CEDEM), Nevenka Vuksanović
- Centre for Democratic Transition (CDT), Milica Kovačević
- Women’s Rights Centre (WRC), Maja Raičević
- Centre for Monitoring and Research (CeMI), Zlatko Vujović
- Centre for Civil Liberties (CEGAS), Marija Popović Kalezić
- Centre for Development of NGOs (CRNVO), Zorana Marković
- Centre for Multimedia Production (CEZAM), Blagota Marunović
- Centre for Affirmation of the Roma and Egyptian Population (CAREP), Nardi Ahmetović
- Centre for Training and Education, Aleksandra Radoman Kovačević
- Center for Roma Initiatives (CRI), Fana Delija
- Centre for Protection and Research of Birds (CZIP), Jovana Janjušević
- Centre for Economic and European Studies (CEES), Nenad Vujošević
- Centre for Culture Bihor, Mirsad Rastoder
- Montenegrin LGBTIQ Association Queer Montenegro, Staša Baštrica
- Montenegrin PEN Center, Boban Batrićević
- Montenegrin Women’s Lobby, Aida Petrović
- Montenegrin Lawyers’ Committee for Human Rights, Velija Murić
- Eduko plus, Almedina Dodić
- ERA – LGBTI Equal Rights Alliance for the Western Balkans and Turkey, Danijel Kalezić
- Children of Montenegro, Sabra Decević
- Association of Montenegrin Publishers, Prof. Dr. Vladimir Vojinović
- Civic Initiative “21st May,” Rade Bojović
- Civic Alliance, Milan Radović
- Husein Pasha, Emir Pilav
- Husein Pasha – Pljevlja, Denijal Geljić
- Ikre, Rožaje, Velida Hodžić
- Montenegrin Media Institute, Olivera Nikolić
- Institute for Gender Equality “Dulcinea,” Ulcinj, Hatixha Gjoni
- Youth Initiative for Human Rights, Edina Hasanaga Čobaj
- Initiative for Regional Cooperation of Montenegro (Igman Initiative), Andro Martinović
- Ipso Facto, Milena Popović Samardžić
- Juventas, Ivana Vujović
- Korifej Theater, Zoran Rakočević
- LINK – Montenegrin Harm Reduction Network, Ranko Dacić
- Monitoring Group Ulcinj – Mogul, Xhemal Peroviq
- Bridge of Culture, Ivan Jokanović
- Our Action, Kotor
- New Horizon, Ulcinj, Nazif Velić
- Municipal Association for Multiple Sclerosis Bijelo Polje, Lidija Guberinić
- Plan B, Alen Poljak
- Women’s Excellence Platform – Sofia, Rebeka Čilović
- Empty Space, Marija Backović
- Prima, Aida Perović
- First Women’s Ecological Movement in Montenegro – Ecopatriotism, Ivana Čogurić
- Punta Institute, Ulcinj, Admir Gjoni
- Development Vranj, Tuzi
- Roma Youth Organization “Walk with Us – Phiren Amenca,” Elvis Beriša
- Alliance for Children and Youth “House,” Pavić Radović
- Safe Women’s House, Budislavka Mira Saveljić
- System, Neda Radović
- SOS Hotline Rožaje, Raza Nurković
- Heart, Dušan Rakočević
- Student Organization Adamas
- Association “Štrpci – Against Oblivion,” Demir Ličina
- Association of Lawyers of Montenegro, Branislav Radulović
- Association of History Professors HIPMONT, Miloš Vukanović
- Association of LBTQ Women “Stana,” Ana Dedivanović
- Parents’ Association OAZA, Rasema Hekalo
- Association “Legal Advocate,” Budislav Budo Minić
- Association of Youth with Disabilities of Montenegro, Marina Vujačić
- Association of Fine Artists of Montenegro, Svetlana Dragojević
- Association for the Support of Roma and Egyptians, Berane, Sultan Beća
- Ulcinj Info, Mustafa Canka
- Forum MNE, Elvira Hadžibegović
- Forum of Bosniaks of Montenegro, Husein Ceno Tuzović
- 35mm, Darko Ivanović