The UN’s decision to adopt a resolution on the Srebrenica genocide marks a fresh chapter of accepting the fact about what happened in 1995 in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is simply a long awaited and welcome step, reaffirming the fact of that genocide. For some, though, it is politically inconvenient, leading to tensions and frustration.
On May 23rd, the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted a resolution on the Srebrenica genocide which rekindled the fires of fact and, at the same time, threw fuel on the fire of tension coming from Serbia and the Bosnian Republika Srpska entity. Eighty-four countries adopted the Srebrenica Resolution. There were 68 abstentions and 19 countries voted against – including Serbia.
The resolution is crucial due to the fact that it reasserts the conviction of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide as a verdict by the global court. For besides long, politics and revisionism have clouded the fact about Srebrenica, so it is reassuring to see the facts confirmed and restated through the resolution.
The 2004 verdict from the global Criminal Tribunal for the erstwhile Yugoslavia (ICTY) was directed at liable individuals and circumstantial military units, clearly distinguishing them from collective actors specified as Serbia and Republika Srpska. The global Court of Justice (ICJ) gave its own akin verdict in 2007.
In fresh years, Serbia has taken steps to admit the ruling domestically. Its National Assembly adopted a resolution on Srebrenica in line with the ICJ’s verdict, albeit excluding the word “genocide”. In 2015, Serbian president Aleksandar Vučić visited Srebrenica to pay tribute but was attacked and forced to leave, hounded out by victims’ families who saw through his insincere condolences.
The UN resolution and its text commemorating the Srebrenica genocide exclude Serbian collective work for the Bosnian genocide, which ought to appease Vučić, thanks to a Montenegrin amendment. The first amendment declares that criminal work under global law for genocide is individualized and cannot be attributed to religious, ethnic, or another groups as a whole. This absolves Serbia but condemns any Serbian individuals with links to the Bosnian Serb Army in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The second amendment, besides pushed by Montenegro, affirms the coexistence of the entities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, echoing EU calls for unity and diversity.
The Srebrenica Resolution is essential to preserving historical memory and ensuring accountability for liable individuals. The 1995 genocide left over 8,000 Bosniak men and boys dead, killed systematically by the Bosnian Serb forces. It is simply a dark chapter which needs remembering. By formally recognizing the panic and condemning those atrocities, the resolution helps Bosnia and Herzegovina cement its collective memory of those events and guarantee future generations realize their gravity. This acknowledgement by the global community conveys a powerful message that these crimes will not be forgotten, nor camouflaged by consistent force from Serbia and Republika Srpska.
Serbia does not welcome the fact about the Srebrenica genocide. The Serbian government has consistently attacked the resolution since its preliminary phases, alleging that its authors brand Serbia a genocidal nation, even though the paper states the crime of genocide refers to individuals, not groups or nations.
President Vučić made a dramatic scene during voting on the resolution, draping an tremendous Serbian flag over his shoulders and seemingly pretending to cry as a pretext of gaining attention as he sat in the assembly chamber. Vučić believes the resolution aims to stigmatize Serbia. Despite the resolution being sponsored by Rwanda and Germany, it does not mention or attribute work to Serbia for the Srebrenica genocide.
The leader of the Bosnian Serb entity, Milorad Dodik, took a akin approach in opposing the resolution. For Dodik, the Srebrenica genocide is simply a false presumption and a sham. Both Vučić and Dodik campaigned relentlessly against the ruling. As Serbia prepares for elections in June, it continues to show reluctance to join EU sanctions against Russia over the Ukraine war.
The adoption of the Srebrenica Resolution is crucial, not only as a historical evidence of memory but besides as a step towards healing deep wounds which proceed to affect the full region. Bosnia and Herzegovina’s support and validation of what happened affirm the resolution’s importance. Meanwhile, Serbia and Republika Srpska’s hostility demonstrates that the truth, no substance how painful, cannot be ignored. The resolution remains meaningful to the region and essential for the ongoing reconciliation process.
Arta Haxhixhemajli is simply a Kosovar researcher, a non-resident fellow at the German Marshall Fund of the United States and a policy fellow with Young Voices Europe. Her investigation covers global relations, safety and geopolitics.
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