Montenegro has once again failed to officially designate 11 July as the Day of Remembrance for the victims of the Srebrenica genocide, thereby ensuring its regular institutional commemoration.
Although the Parliament of Montenegro recognized the importance of and the need to designate 11 July as the Day of Remembrance for the victims of the Srebrenica genocide in its 2021 Resolution on the Genocide in Srebrenica, and although Montenegro supported the 2024 United Nations General Assembly Resolution proclaiming 11 July as the International Day of Reflection and Commemoration of the 1995 Genocide in Srebrenica, the country has yet to officially establish this Day of Remembrance.
On 11 June, the Human Rights Action (HRA), the Centre for Civic Education (CCE), and ANIMA addressed the Prime Minister, the Speaker of Parliament, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, and the Minister of Human and Minority Rights, asking whether the state would finally commemorate 11 July this year. To date, we have received only a response from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and unofficial information from the Office of the Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Mirsad Nurković.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs informed us that, in cooperation with the Office of the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Montenegro, it will organize a panel discussion on Friday, 3 July, on the Srebrenica genocide, the responsibility to prevent genocide, and the importance of preserving the memory of the victims as a prerequisite for a safer future and peaceful coexistence.
We have also been unofficially informed by the Office of the Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Mirsad Nurković, that an exhibition on Srebrenica is being prepared and is expected to be displayed in the lobby of the Parliament of Montenegro.
We welcome these activities as a valuable contribution to fostering a culture of remembrance. However, we have not received an answer to our question regarding the official establishment of a Day of Remembrance.
The establishment of a Day of Remembrance would not be unprecedented in the practice of the Parliament of Montenegro. Regrettably, however, this issue continues to be subject to political calculation. This is evidenced by the 2024 Resolution on the Genocide in the Jasenovac, Dachau, and Mauthausen Camp System, which stipulates that “22 April shall be officially recognized as the Day of Remembrance for the Victims of the Jasenovac Genocide and shall be commemorated annually.” There is therefore no justifiable reason why 11 July should not likewise be officially designated as the Day of Remembrance for the victims of the Srebrenica genocide, particularly given that Parliament itself recognized the need to do so five years ago.
We call on the Government and the Parliament of Montenegro to officially designate 11 July as the Day of Remembrance for the victims of the Srebrenica genocide without further delay and to ensure its regular institutional commemoration, in line with Montenegro’s domestic and international commitments. By doing so, the state would demonstrate consistency with its own decisions, reaffirm its commitment to the universal values of human rights, and send a clear message that fostering a culture of remembrance and honouring the victims are not matters of political discretion, but of civilizational responsibility, one that requires a clear rejection of genocide denial and relativization.
Human Rights Action (HRA)
Centre for Civic Education (CCE)
Centre for Women’s and Peace Education – ANIMA