Mind guard in Berlin: 30 years after the Srebrenica People's Murder commemorate

Mind guard in Berlin: 30 years after the Srebrenica People's Murder commemorate

Brandenburger Tor, 10117 Berlin, Deutschland - On July 11, 2025, around 500 people gathered at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide. This memorial event offered the opportunity to read the names of 30 of the victims known at least 8,372 who were killed during the massacre. This crime, which is considered the most serious war crime in Europe since World War II, was committed on July 11, 1995 by Bosnian-Serbian soldiers under the command of Ratko Mladić when they murdered Muslim boys and men in the city of Srebrenica.

A banner with the names of all known victims was set up during the event, which clearly illustrated the scope of the event. Member of the Bundestag Jasmina Hostert (SPD) emphasized the importance of showing the victims and surviving attitude. In a deep sign of commemoration, another event entitled "Our stories, our warning. Against the forgetting" took place in the Berlin House of Representatives.

scandal in the Bundestag

In the Bundestag, the day was recognized with a one -hour debate. However, this session experienced a scandal when some AfD MPs questioned the classification of the action as a genocide, which led to violent reactions. Since last year, July 11th has been committed by the United Nations as the "International Day of Thinking and Remembrance of Srebrenica 1995". This step was made by the UN General Assembly in 2024, but against the votes of Serbia, Russia and China.

In Bosnia-Herzegovina, extensive memorial events also took place. Tens of thousands of people came together to commemorate the victim of the Srebrenica massacre. The remains of seven murdered people were buried at a commemoration in the East Bosnian village of Potocari. In Sarajevo, people held a one -minute minute's silence as part of a nationwide mourning day during the crying of the sirens. In the days of the official commemorative celebrations, peace marches, an ultramarathon and a motorcycle convoy took place that drew additional attention to this tragic day.

historical backgrounds

The Srebrenica genocide occurred in the context of the decay of Yugoslavia, which began in the early 1990s. The civil war in Bosnia and Herzegovina escalated after a referendum on independence in spring 1992, which was boycotted by Bosnian Serbs. Srebrenica was declared a UN security zone and became a refuge for Bosnian Muslims. The offensive of the army of the Republika Srpska on Srebrenica began on July 6, 1995. On July 11, up to 25,000 people in the UN military base in Potočari crowded to protect themselves from the attacking troops.

In the following days, men were systematically separated and executed by women and children, making the genocide finally accepted its fateful character. The UN War Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) worked on the legal review of these atrocities for 24 years. Of the 161 people who were defendant, 20 had to answer for the crimes in Srebrenica, including the prominent war criminal Ratko Mladić and Radovan Karadžić, both of whom were sentenced to life imprisonment. Despite all the efforts to name the wrongly, political representatives of the Republika Srpska and Serbian politicians continue to deny the existence of the genocide.

In memory of the events of 1995, the Srebrenica massacre remains not only a dark chapter in European history, but also a steady dunning call against forgetting and for the rights of the victims. So that the stories of the victims live on, it is essential to celebrate such memorial days and to pull the teachings from the past.