Redakcija
The United States Embassy condemned the decision by local authorities in Bratunac to forbid the families of Bosniak victims from laying flowers in front of the agricultural cooperative Kravica, saying that the move “does not change the fundamental fact that a Genocide occurred in and around Srebrenica in July 1995,” but does hinder the prospects for reconciliation.
The statement comes after members of the Movement of Mothers of Srebrenica and Zepa Enclaves came to the Kravice agricultural cooperative Wednesday but were prevented from laying flowers at the site where over 1,300 Bosniaks were killed in one day.
The complex is now being rebuilt, which, according to the head of the victims’ association, represents an effort to “erase the crime.”
“The United States is dismayed by the decision of Bratunac mayor to deny victims’ family members access to the Kravica site today to commemorate the loss of loved ones there during the Srebrenica Genocide,” the US Embassy said, adding that BiH leaders at all levels “have the profound responsibility to honour all civilian victims,” which includes allowing victim groups of all ethnic groups in the country to access sites of suffering and to memorialise their loved ones.
The United States is dismayed by the decision of Bratunac mayor to deny victims’ family members access to the Kravica site today to commemorate the loss of loved ones there during the #SrebrenicaGenocide. 🧵 pic.twitter.com/kPN5BPzkdO
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— US Embassy Sarajevo (@USEmbassySJJ) July 13, 2022
“This is essential both for the victims to honour their lost family members and for the people of BiH to heal and to move forward. Providing them with that access is also the decent thing to do,” the Embassy said.
“Mayor Rankic’s decision today does not change the fundamental fact that a Genocide occurred in and around Srebrenica in July 1995, including at Kravica, nor does it in any way honour the Serb civilians who died in the region, but it does hinder the prospects for reconciliation, which is necessary for all people in BiH to live the peaceful and prosperous lives they deserve,” it said.
