UNITED NATIONS, May 24 (APP): With Pakistan supporting, the UN General Assembly Thursday adopted a resolution designating 11 July as the International Day of Reflection and Commemoration of the 1995 Genocide in Srebrenica, in which at least 8,372 Bosnian Muslims were killed by Bosnian Serbs, thousands displaced and whole communities destroyed. Over strong Serbian objections backed by their allies, The text, sponsored by Germany and Rwanda, was adopted by a vote of 84 nations in favour, 19 against and 68 abstentions.<\/p>\n
Adopting the resolution, the Assembly also asked the Secretary-General to establish an outreach programme on the Srebrenica genocide in preparation for the 30th anniversary next year. Explaining Pakistan\u2019s vote, Ambassador Munir Akram highlighted the huge Srebrenica tragedy, saying the United Nations must remain resolute in its commitment to preventing the recurrence of the genocide in Srebrenica and Rwanda. \u201cThe international community must remain vigilant in detecting and responding to any signs of a similar pattern of targeting ethnic groups or religious minorities which are being manifested in certain states today, the Pakistani envoy said, in an obvious reference to Palestine and Kashmir.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis tragedy was among the most appalling episodes in recent human history and was acknowledged as \u2018genocide\u2019 by both the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and the International Court of Justice (ICJ). \u201cThere was a clear legal determination by the ICJ to establish the commission of the crime of genocide in Srebrenica in July 1995.\u201d Ambassador Akram said numerous OIC resolutions have underscored the 57-member body\u2019s steadfast support for maintaining the unity, territorial integrity, sovereignty, and international standing of Bosnia and Herzegovina. \u201cThis support is grounded in the commitment to uphold Bosnia and Herzegovina\u2019s internationally recognized borders, fostering its ability to function autonomously, fulfill its international obligations, and preserve its multiethnic, multicultural, and multi-religious character.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thursday\u2019s UNGA resolution also condemned any denial of the Srebrenica genocide as a historical event and called on Member States to preserve the established facts, including through their educational systems, towards preventing denial and distortion, and any occurrence of genocide in the future. The massacre in Srebrenica marked one of the darkest chapters of the war that erupted after the breakup of former Yugoslavia. In July 1995, the Bosnian Serb army overran Srebrenica, which was previously declared a safe area by the UN Security Council, and brutally murdered thousands of men and teenagers there, and expelled 20,000 people from the town. A small and lightly armed unit of Dutch peacekeepers under the UN flag were unable to resist the Bosnian Serb force.<\/p>\n
The brutal killings of Bosnian Muslims in Srebrenica by the army of Republika Srpska was recognized as an act of genocide by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) as well as the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY). Volker Turk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, welcomed the resolution as \u201cfurther recognition\u201d of the victims and survivors, and their pursuit of justice, truth and guarantees of non-recurrence. \u201cThe resolution is all the more important given the persistent revisionism, denial of the Srebrenica genocide and hate speech by high-level political leaders in Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as in neighbouring countries,\u201d he said in a statement. He also underscored the responsibility of political leaders in the region to engage in constructive dialogue to build peaceful societies \u201cwhere people can live safely and freely, without discrimination or fear of conflict and violence\u201d. Introducing the draft resolution, German Antje Leendertse said that the initiative was about honouring the victims and supporting survivors, \u201cwho continue to live with scars of that fateful time\u201d. The text is modelled on the General Assembly resolution that designated 7 April as the International Day of Reflection on the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda. \u201cIt also underscores the role of international courts in fighting impunity and ensuring accountability for genocide, and contains language against genocide denial and glorification of perpetrators,\u201d she added. The German envoy also spoke against \u201cfalse allegations\u201d, stating that the resolution \u201cis not directed against anybody\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot against Serbia, a valued member of this Organization. If at all, it is directed against perpetrators of the genocide,\u201d Ambassador Leendertse added. \u201cI therefore invite everybody to judge the text on its merits and to support our call to commemorate and reflect on what happened in Srebrenica almost thirty years ago.\u201d Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic labelled the text \u201chighly politicized\u201d saying it would \u201copen a Pandora\u2019s box\u201d. The draft resolution \u201cwas hidden\u201d by its authors, he said, adding that it lacked an inclusive process compared with \u201cthe resolution for Rwanda\u201d, which was prepared in a \u201cvery transparent way\u201d. He recalled discussions over the issue at the Security Council in March.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen we wanted to discuss the bombing of Serbia in 1999, they said to us \u2018don\u2019t look at the past, look at the future \u2013 it happened 25 years ago\u2019. Two days after that, we found out that they were preparing this kind of resolution relating to events even four years prior to [1999],\u201d he said. \u201cWhen they have some needs \u2013 political needs, they can go deep into the past. When someone else is referring to the past, in that case the facts \u2013 they don\u2019t matter.\u201d With verdicts and convictions already delivered through the judicial process, the resolution would now only deepen divisions and lead to instability, President Vucic added. \u201cThis is not about reconciliation, not about memories, this is something that will just open an old wound and create complete political havoc. Not only in our region, but even here, in this hall\u201d, he argued. Russia\u2019s Nebenzia called the resolution\u2019s adoption \u201ca Pyrrhic victory for its sponsors,\u201d saying if their goal \u201dwas to divide the General Assembly \u2026 then they\u2019ve succeeded brilliantly.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
UNITED NATIONS, May 24 (APP): With Pakistan supporting, the UN General Assembly Thursday adopted a resolution designating 11 July as the International Day of Reflection and Commemoration of the 1995 Genocide in Srebrenica, in which at least 8,372 Bosnian Muslims were killed by Bosnian Serbs, […]<\/p>\n
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