Over 100 unclaimed bodies of Srebrenica genocide await final farewell

BELGRADE, Serbia (AA) - The bodies of more than 100 victims of the Srebrenica genocide are lying in morgues in Bosnia and Herzegovina as their DNA identification process has stalled, according to a former official.

Amor Masovic, the former head of Bosnia's Missing Persons Institute, told Anadolu despite the passage of 28 years the bodies could not be identified due to a lack of DNA matches.

"The number was 98 when I was on duty. It's probably over 100 now. The DNA of these unclaimed bodies was analyzed, but the samples could not be matched because they did not have any close living relatives. Probably their relatives also shared the same fate as them," said Masovic.

He urged the government to arrange a proper burial for them.

"They also suffered the fate of genocide. They were also shot next to those with gravestones in Potocari today. They should also find peace with their friends, loved ones and acquaintances in Potocari. They should also have a white tombstone," said Masovic.

Bosnia and Herzegovina has finalized arrangements to bid farewell to 30 more identified victims of the Srebrenica genocide on the 28th anniversary of Europe's worst genocide since World War II.

Every year on July 11, newly identified victims of the genocide – which claimed the lives of over 8,000 people – are buried in a memorial cemetery in Potocari, eastern Bosnia.

Thousands of visitors from various countries will attend the funeral service and burials.

After this year’s funeral, the number of graves in the cemetery will rise to 6,751.

The bodies, whose identification has been completed, are kept in the Visoko City Cemetery.

The coffins with the names of the people on them will be sent off from Visoko to Srebrenica on July 8.

Bosnian Muslim men and boys were killed after Bosnian Serb forces attacked the UN "safe area" of Srebrenica in July 1995, despite the presence of Dutch troops tasked with acting as international peacekeepers.

The UN Security Council had declared Srebrenica a "safe area" in the spring of 1993. However, Serb troops led by Gen. Ratko Mladic – who was sentenced to life for war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide – overran the UN zone.

The bodies of the victims of the genocide were found in 570 different parts of the country.