Pristina, 10 July 2023
Albin Kurti, attended the commemorative assembly on the occasion of the 28th anniversary of the genocide in Srebrenica, organized by the Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo for Minority Issues and Human Rights, Emilija Rexhepi, in cooperation with Prof. Nexhmedin Spahiu, held at the Institute of History.
Remembering the terrible genocide that happened 28 years ago in Srebrenica, Prime Minister Kurti said that we remember the 8,372 Bosnian men and boys who did not give you the slightest hope of survival, and who were mercilessly massacred in the hands of the enemy state. “Columns of 30,000 women, children, and elderly people who were abused and forced to flee from their place reside in our memories. Let us remember the one thousand people whose bodies have still not been found even today. It always hurts us and reminds us that the criminals never received the punishment they deserved. Despite Serbia being held responsible for not preventing the genocide, it has never been held accountable for mercilessly committing this genocide,” said Prime Minister Kurti at the beginning of his speech.
In front of the numerous attendees, the Prime Minister mentioned the data from the Center for Humanitarian Law led by Natasha Kandic, according to which around four thousand officers of the Yugoslav army from Serbia fought against the Bosniaks in Bosnia and Herzegovina and were paid by Serbia. Furthermore, all the weapons and uniforms came from Serbia. Out of the 25,000 Serbs killed in Bosnia, less than one-fifth were civilians. “Serbia is responsible because, after all, the Dayton Agreement was signed by the President of Serbia, Milosevic,” he said.
Furthermore, Prime Minister Kurti stated that Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic have already been convicted for their participation in the genocide, and with significant delay, Jovica Stanisic and Frenki Simatovic were also convicted for their involvement in the crimes committed by Serbia in Bosnia. This, as he said, is an indication that the genocide in Bosnia did not happen internally, but from the outside, and that not only a few Bosnian Serbs are responsible, but Serbia as a state.
“Therefore, there is still no justice and peace for Srebrenica and Bosnia and Herzegovina. That is why this atrocity weighs heavily on the international consciousness even more than a quarter of a century later,” expressed the Prime Minister.
He recalled that two years ago, the Assembly of the Republic of Kosovo adopted a resolution, with which the genocide in Srebrenica is condemned and the Government of Kosovo is invited to honor the victims and the memory of this date.
In that resolution, Point No. 6 states that the Assembly of Kosovo:
“Calls on all states in the region to make additional efforts to bring to justice all those responsible for planning and committing the genocide in Srebrenica.”
Among others, present at this gathering were Shemsudin Mehmedovic, Member of Parliament of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Fatmir Xheka, Minister of Human Rights and Minority Affairs from Montenegro.
The full speech of Prime Minister Kurti, translated into Albanian:
Good evening to all,
out of respect for the Bosniak community, the families of the victims, and the guests, tonight I will speak in the Bosnian language.
Dear Emilija Rexhepi, Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo for Minority Issues and Human Rights,
Dear Shemsudin Mehmedović, Member of Parliament of Bosnia and Herzegovina,
Dear Fatmir Xheka, Minister of Human and Minority Rights from Montenegro,
Dear Professor Nexhmedin Spahiu,
Hounourableambassadors,
Dear Ministers, MPs and Deputy Ministers,
Dear participants,
Ladies and gentleman,
Every time the anniversary of the Srebrenica massacre approaches, remembering that horrific genocide, the same things come to mind.
We are inevitably reminded of Mladic, the Scorpions, the Chetnik ideology that was used by Serbia initially in Croatia and Bosnia, and then also in Kosovo.
We remember the 8,372 Bosnian men and boys who did not give you the slightest hope of survival, and who were mercilessly massacred in the hands of the enemy state.
Columns of 30,000 women, children, and elderly people who were abused and forced to flee from their place reside in our memories. Let us remember the one thousand people whose bodies have still not been found even today.
It always hurts us and reminds us that the criminals never received the punishment they deserved. Despite Serbia being held responsible for not preventing the genocide, it has never been held accountable for mercilessly committing this genocide.
From the Center for Humanitarian Law led by Natasha Kandic, we know that around four thousand officers of the Yugoslav army from Serbia fought against the Bosniaks in Bosnia and Herzegovina and were paid by Serbia. Furthermore, all the weapons and uniforms came from Serbia. Out of the 25,000 Serbs killed in Bosnia, less than one-fifth were civilians. “Serbia is responsible because, in the end, the Dayton Agreement was signed by the then President of Serbia, Milosevic.
Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic have already been convicted for their participation in the genocide, and with significant delay, Jovica Stanisic and Frenki Simatovic were also convicted for their involvement in the crimes committed by Serbia in Bosnia. This is an indication that the genocide in Bosnia did not happen internally but externally. That the responsible persons are not only some Bosnian Serbs but Serbia as a state.
Therefore, there is still no justice and peace for Srebrenica and B&H. That is why this atrocity weighs heavily on the international consciousness even more than a quarter of a century later.
What we as Kosovo can do is very little, but it’s not nothing. Two years ago, the Assembly of our Republic adopted a resolution with which the genocide in Srebrenica is condemned and the Government of Kosovo is invited to honor the victims and the memory of this date.
In that resolution, Point No. 6 states that the Assembly of Kosovo:
“Calls on all states in the region to make additional efforts to bring to justice all those responsible for planning and committing the genocide in Srebrenica.”
We wish for peace, cooperation, and equality among the states and the Balkan peoples. But the foundation of that peace lies in the punishment of criminals. It is unthinkable how, even in the 21st century, there are politicians in our region who say that those who demand the punishment of the perpetrators of genocide are against dialogue and against good neighborly relations. On the contrary, good neighborliness can only be fostered by condemning crimes and establishing justice, and good dialogue occurs when parties are not afraid of distancing themselves from crimes.
When Raphael Lemkin used the term GENOCIDE for the first time in his book “Axis Rule in Occupied Europe,” I doubt he considered the possibility of a discrepancy between the theoretical and practical aspects of the term.
I can hardly imagine when Lemkin spoke about genocide, that someone in the 21st century would build an entire narrative of discourse based on denial of genocide.
The term genocide was not invented to be denied. But to emphasize the brutality and inhumanity of crimes that go beyond what war crimes and crimes against humanity encompass.
Even today, genocide implies the undertaking of actions with the aim of (complete or partial) destruction of groups based on national, ethnic, racial, or religious aspects.
What happened in Srebrenica 28 years ago is nothing less than genocide. Nothing less than deliberate targeting of victims because of their existence.
The damage caused by the genocide in Srebrenica is manifold. It goes beyond the 8,372 killed men and boys. Beyond the 30,000 abused and forcibly displaced women, children, and elderly people. The damage caused is transferred every year to the pain of mothers. The tears of sisters. The experienced traumas. Untreated suffering. The damage caused by the genocide cannot be repaired. But it can be acknowledged by accepting it. And in the time we live in, salt is poured into the wounds of the victims every day when the genocide in Srebrenica is shamelessly denied by Serbia.
When the role of that atrocious aggression is minimized endlessly.
When the institutions that should come forward and apologize humbly, they deny the existence of the genocide. And we, in Kosovo, also have our wounds still open. Live.
Fresh memories. Immense pain.
Because whenever we remember Srebrenica, we inevitably remember all that has happened in Kosovo. The committed genocide and the lack of accountability for it.
Therefore, allow me to conclude my speech with the words of Fouad Riad, a judge at the Hague Tribunal during the confirmation of the indictment against Mladic and Karadzic for Srebrenica in November 1995.
“The evidence presented by the Prosecutor describes unimaginable scenes and atrocities: thousands of executed men buried in mass graves, hundreds of men buried alive, mutilated and massacred women and men, children killed in front of their mothers’ eyes, a grandfather forced to eat his grandson’s liver. These are truly scenes from hell, written on the darkest pages of human history”.
In times like these, we must remember that the first step towards repeating genocide is denial. Therefore, we must be attentive and vocal in our remembrance and demands for recognition and humility regarding one of the most macabre genocides that occurred in post-World War II Europe.
We seek peace only by pursuing justice. Those who forget justice do not work for peace.
May the victims of Srebrenica rest in peace, and glory to human sacrifice and endurance!
Thank you.
Last modified: July 12, 2023