More victims of the genocide which took place on 11 July 1995 in Srebrenica are identified every year, even after 23 years.
Those victims identified in the past year will be given special attention at Wednesday’s commemoration ceremonies in Srebrenica and in The Hague. In Srebrenca, their remains will be buried at the Potocari Memorial Cemetery, while here in The Netherlands, their names will be read out and those present will honour their memories.
Marš mira
Before the commemoration ceremony, thousands of people walk the so-called Peace March, or Marš mira, the escape route through the woods which the men trapped in Srebrenica used to try to escape to safety. In The Netherlands, mourners walk a symbolic 11 kilometres, starting in Wassenaar and ending at the commemoration in the center of the Hague.
Genocide
On 11 July, 1995, more than 8,000 Bosnians were murdered. The United Nations had declared Srebrenica a safe area under UN protection, but Dutch soldiers serving under the UN (known as Dutchbat) were not able to provide the promised protection.
Exhibit
The ceremony at the Potocari Memorial Centre near Srebrenica is attended every year by senior officials and representatives of the victims. Three PAX employees will attend this year’s ceremony. Last year, PAX and the Memorial Center Camp Westerbork opened the exhibit ‘Srebrenica Genocide – the Failure of the International Community’ in the former headquarters of the Dutch Battalion UNPROFOR at the Potocari compound.
