US voices solidarity on 27th anniversary of Srebrenica genocide

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - The US voiced solidarity with the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina on Monday as the Balkan nation marks the 27th anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide.

The mass killings of more than 8,000 boys and men in 1995 by Bosnian Serb forces marks the only US-recognized genocide in Europe since the Holocaust.

State Department spokesman Ned Price said the US "will continue to stand with the families who lost their loved ones and with those who continue to search tirelessly for the missing," and would "fight for the truth, support the survivors, and pursue justice by investigating and prosecuting those responsible."

"It takes courage and strength to overcome pain and loss and to promote hope and tolerance. We are deeply committed to supporting leaders at all levels in Bosnia and Herzegovina who are willing to take meaningful steps toward reconciliation in the pursuit of a better future for all citizens," added Price.

Bosnia and Herzegovina marked the massacre's 27th anniversary by honoring 50 newly identified victims during a memorial service that drew thousands of mourners.

The UN Security Council declared Srebrenica a "safe area" in the spring of 1993. However, troops led by Gen. Ratko Mladic, who was later found guilty of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide, overran the UN zone two years later.

Dutch troops failed to act as Serb forces occupied the area, killing some 2,000 men and boys on July 11 alone.

Around 15,000 residents of Srebrenica fled to the surrounding mountains, but Serb troops hunted down and killed 6,000 more people.

The bodies of victims have been found from 570 places across the country.

In 2007, the International Court of Justice in The Hague ruled that genocide had been committed in Srebrenica.

On June 8, 2021, UN tribunal judges upheld in a second-instance trial a verdict sentencing Mladic to life in prison for the genocide, persecution, crimes against humanity, extermination and other war crimes in Bosnia-Herzegovina.