One of the deepest wounds in the region is the genocide in Srebrenica in July 1995. Under the watchful eye of the international community, 8,372 Muslim boys, men and a few women were murdered. They were under the formal protection of Dutchbat, the Dutch UN battalion. This tragedy marks a dark chapter not only in the history of Bosnia, but also in that of the Netherlands.
Building recognition and healing
PAX has been committed for many years to recognising the suffering, supporting survivors and establishing the truth throughout the region. Together with partners in the region, we contribute to processing, dialogue and justice.
Our work in Srebrenica and the Western Balkans is not only about the past. It is also about the future: learning lessons, doing justice to victims, and ensuring that it never happens again. By recording stories, bringing people together, and promoting international solidarity, we are building lasting peace together.
Dragi Moji – My Dearest
For the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide, we have been working with documentary filmmaker Mustafa Hadziibrahimovic, the Bosnian-Dutch youth organisation Mladi BiH and the Srebrenica Memorial Committee Rotterdam on a poignant bilingual online campaign. Over forty letters have been collected for this campaign, in which people address their lost loved ones. The letters will also be compiled and published in a small edition.
Future dialogue
Since 2024, we have been organising meetings on the future of the Western Balkans in collaboration with Free Press Unlimited, the Netherlands Helsinki Committee, the Committee for Humanitarian Intervention and the Max van der Stoel Foundation, among others. The most recent meeting was held on 14 April 2025, when two authoritative independent thinkers travelled to the Netherlands: Dinko Gruhonjić, journalist and professor at the University of Novi Sad, and Adnan Ćerimagić, senior analyst at the European Stability Initiative (ESI). They were also received at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for a consultation with Dutch diplomats. This resulted in a discussion paper entitled Bosnia at the Brink, which was widely shared with members of parliament.
Srebrenica: commemoration and processing
We are co-initiators of the permanent exhibition ‘Srebrenica Genocide – the Failure of the International Community’ at the Srebrenica Memorial Centre. We also supported, where desired, meetings between Dutchbat veterans, survivors and relatives of victims. These are difficult but essential conversations that contribute to understanding and healing.
Dangerous Names
PAX was co-initiator of Boy Jonkergouw’s theatre production Dangerous Names about the Srebrenica genocide and its impact on survivor Alma Mustafic and Dutchbatter Ray Braat. Together they take to the stage. Their dialogues are confrontational but also demonstrate the power of connection. The production toured theatres in the Netherlands and the Western Balkans.
Archives as witnesses
In collaboration with the Srebrenica Memorial Centre and the Open Society Archives (Budapest and Vienna), we organised an international expert meeting in December 2022 on the professionalisation of the Memorial Centre’s archive. Experts from more than ten countries participated, including representatives from the University of Amsterdam, the NIOD and the Netherlands Institute for Military History (NIMH) in the Netherlands.
For our efforts, together with partners in Kosovo, Serbia and North Macedonia, we received the Krunoslav Sukic Accolade for Peacebuilding, Nonviolence and Human Rights from the Osijek Peace Centre in September 2024. This recognition underscores the impact of our joint work with more than twenty victim organisations from these three countries.
