Today, on July 11, many countries around the world commemorate the victims of the Srebrenica massacre, one of the bloodiest ethnic cleansings in human history, UNN reports.
A terrible tragedy occurred at the height of the war in the Balkans. In July 1995, Kosovo Serb paramilitaries under the command of General Ratko Mladic killed about 8,000 Kosovo Muslim men aged 12 to 77 after capturing the town of Srebrenica.
The completed proceedings in international courts proved that the Srebrenica massacre was not a spontaneous event, but was pre-planned and methodically implemented. The Hague Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia recognized the Srebrenica massacre as genocide. In late February 2007, the International Court of Justice recognized the Srebrenica massacre as genocide.
After the massacre in Srebrenica, Ratko Mladic ordered the seizure of the nearby Muslim enclave of Zhepa, where Ukrainian peacekeepers were stationed.
There was a great threat that the tragic history of Srebrenica would be repeated here. The enclave was under constant mortar shelling. However, thanks to the courage and resilience of Ukrainian peacekeepers, the tragedy was avoided. Negotiations began, which ended with the evacuation of the peaceful Muslim population from Zhepa.
On May 24 of this year, the UN General Assembly , by its resolution, designated July 11 as the International Day of Remembrance for the Victims of the Srebrenica Genocide.
Eighty-four states, including Ukraine, voted in favor of declaring July 11 an annual day of remembrance for the victims of the 1995 Srebrenica massacre. There were 19 against, including Serbia's traditional partners, Russia, Belarus, Hungary, and China. 68 states abstained.
For Ukraine, today's event is important because it sets a precedent for proving the facts of war crimes. The massacre in Bucha, the massacres in Izium and other war crimes committed by the Russian occupiers must be properly assessed by international courts, and their organizer and perpetrators must receive fair sentences.