UDIK Udruženje za društvena istraživanja i komunikacije
The siege of Sarajevo, the destruction of the Old Bridge in Mostar, the massacres in Ahmići, Stupni Do, Grabovica, Trusina, Sarajevo’s Kazani, the concentration camps Omarska, Trnopolje, Sušica, Luka, Čelebići and other places of detention are the results of the monstrous policies of the nineties, the seeds of which still exist in certain domestic and regional political agendas.When it was thought that evil had reached its peak, that it could not go on any longer, Srebrenica happened. In July 1995, during the war against Bosnia and Herzegovina, genocide was committed in Srebrenica when more than eight thousand men and boys were killed in a planned and organized manner. The bodies of Bosniaks were buried in numerous mass graves throughout the Drina Valley, and were later moved from primary to secondary and tertiary graves.
The world soon began to face the results of evil. The truth had to be documented, and justice had to be served. The victims and their families had to find their peace. The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), courts in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the region convicted more than fifty individuals of individual and command responsibility for planning and participating in the genocide. Initiatives and numerous resolutions aimed at recognizing the genocide and commemorating the victims followed. However, this did not stop political leaders and their voters from systematically and daily denying the genocide, inflicting additional pain on the families of the murdered and leaving a permanent stain on humanity and future generations.
All efforts to commemorate the victims of Srebrenica would not have been successful if it were not for civil society, which worked tirelessly to help family members, spread the truth and document the established facts. There are numerous NGOs in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the region that today, just as thirty years ago, preserve the memory of the victims of the Srebrenica genocide. Since its establishment, the Association for Social Research and Communication (UDIK) has had the goal of commemorating civilian victims of war. The Srebrenica genocide and preserving the memory of the murdered Bosniaks in July 1995 is part of the annual agenda. Numerous campaigns, educational activities, street actions and other forms of commemoration have been organized independently or in cooperation with regional partners, in the hope that one day the world will together mark the day of remembrance of the Srebrenica genocide victims.
UDIK’s publishing work has resulted in four publications on the Srebrenica genocide. On the twenty-fifth anniversary of the genocide, UDIK published the Report of the Government of Republika Srpska on the Events in and Around Srebrenica from 10 to 19 July 1995, which was adopted by the entity government in 2004. Also in 2020, UDIKpublished“Srebrenica: 25 Years, Remembering the Victims of Genocide”. This book documented the names of 6,879 genocide victims buried between 2003 and 2019. Last year, UDIK presented research on media reporting on wartime events in the 1990s, with a focus on Srebrenica and Vukovar.
On the occasion of the thirtieth anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide, UDIK presents the publication “SREBRENICA: Three Decades After the Genocide” with the aim to pay tribute to the victims of the genocide and their family members who have been tirelessly fighting for truth and justice for thirty years. The publication represents a kind of summary of the most important moments in the confrontation of our society and the world with the monstrosities that befell Srebrenica in July 1995.
The first part of the publication mentions the establishment of the SrebrenicaMemorial Center, the first collective funeral, the (non)adoption of important acts and resolutions of domestic and international bodies, and the public’s reactions to these documents.Given the complexity of the court processes, the second part of the publication briefly summarizes the trials for war crimes and genocide in Srebrenica, which were conducted before the Hague Tribunal, domestic and regional courts. The third chapter is also the most intimate because it does not focus on established facts but brings personal stories and experiences of women who spoke about the genocide and Srebrenica. We would like to thank them all for sharing their memories, thoughts and feelings.
The appendix to this publication brings several documents that were discussed in the chapters of the book. The Draft UN Security Council Resolution from 2015 and the UN General Assembly Resolution from 2024 are available. The guilty pleas of Dragan Obrenović, Dražen Erdemović, Momir Nikolić and the letter from Radislav Krstić from June 2024 in which he acknowledges the genocide in Srebrenica and asks to pay tribute to the victims are also attached.
To conclude, this publication should serve as a guide for all those who want to become familiar with and confront the facts regarding the Srebrenica genocide. Considering that the United Nations General Assembly, at its session on May 23, 2024, adopted a Resolution declaring July 11 as the International Day of Remembrance of the Srebrenica Genocide and condemning the denial of genocide and the glorification of war criminals, this publication will be a useful material in achieving these intentions that the Resolution brings.