MASSE REMEMBERS SREBRENICA ON THE 17th ANNIVERSARY OF THE GENOCIDE

Windsor, ON – Today Brian Masse M.P. honoured the more than 8000 victims of the Srebrenica Genocide that took place in Bosnia between 1992 and 1995.

"This anniversary raises awareness of the tragic suffering of the people of Bosnia and honours and remembers those who were killed as a result of the policies of genocide, ethnic cleansing, and war crimes carried out in Bosnia and Herzegovina from 1992 to 1995," Masse stated. "Canada acknowledges the importance of this event in helping to bring closure for the Bosnian people through truth and justice. The institutionalization of Srebrenica Remembrance Day every July 11 helps to inform future generations and assists all of us to work towards peaceful coexistence."

After the fall of Srebrenica on July 11th 1995, Bosnian Serb forces, commanded by General Ratko Mladic (an indicted war criminal), and paramilitary units rapidly executed more than 8,000 Bosniak (Muslim) men, boys, and elderly, who had sought safety in the area. Moreover, approximately 30,000 people were forcibly deported in an UN-assisted ethnic cleansing. The European Parliament resolution referred to the Srebrenica Massacre as "the biggest war crime inEuropesince the end of WWII."

"I must also acknowledge that the people of Bosnia might soon get some justice for these crimes as the war crimes trials of both Ratko Mladic and Radovan Karadzic, are now on trial for their respective roles in this injustice. I hope that justice prevails and healing can begin for these victims and their families," stated Masse. "We will always remember."

This atrocity has been declared an act of genocide by the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia. Both the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate in 2005 have passed resolutions on the Srebrenica Genocide and all the atrocities that occurred during the war in Bosnia-Herzegovina between 1992 and 1995. The European parliament passed its resolution on January 15, 2009 institutionalizing July 11 as the day of Remembrance for the Srebrenica Genocide. The Government of Canada began officially recognizing this genocide after Masse's motion passed in the House of Commons in 2010 calling for the Government to recognize every July 11 as Srebrenica Remembrance Day in Canada.

(instituteforgenocide.org)