Roberta METSOLA, EP President gives a statement on Commemorating Srebrenica 28 years anniversary. Srebrenica massacre represents the slaying of more than 7,000 Bosniak (Bosnian Muslim) boys and men, perpetrated by Bosnian Serb forces in Srebrenica, a town in eastern Bosnia and Herzegovina, in July 1995. In addition to the killings, more than 20,000 civilians were expelled from the area—a process known as ethnic cleansing. The massacre, which was the worst episode of mass murder within Europe since World War II, helped galvanize the West to press for a cease-fire that ended three years of warfare on Bosnia’s territory. This transcription is a result of an automatic process. Please check against delivery.

statement

Strasbourg

plenary session

EU - Bosnia and Herzegovina (T)

METSOLA, Roberta (EPP, MT, EP President)

Commemorating Srebrenica 28 years anniversary: statement by Roberta METSOLA, EP President

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, EP President, Dear colleagues. Today just as a solemn moment, please, can I ask for your attention? Today marks the 28th anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide, a day that will live in infamy. An ethnic cleansing campaign that saw nearly 30,000 people forcibly expelled and the brutal murder of over 8000 people, mostly Muslim men and boys who had sought safety in the Srebrenica enclave.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, EP President, Atrocities are so barbaric that they are almost unspeakable. And yet we must speak. We speak to remember the victims. We speak to warn the world of what has happened so that it may never happen again. The genocide of Srebrenica will forever haunt us. 28 years later, we are witnessing increasing genocide, denial, more false narratives and more glorification of war criminals. And it is our duty to speak out against it, to remind the world of a truth that cannot be denied.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, EP President, Last weekend, we marked 500 days since Russia launched its full scale military invasion of an independent and sovereign Ukraine, a war that has brought to light the cruelty of Putin's regime and the return of war crimes and atrocities to our continent. The European Parliament will never turn a blind eye to war crimes. This is how we ensure that nothing like the Srebrenica genocide ever happens again.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, EP President, So on this solemn day, the European Parliament pays tribute to the victims of the Srebrenica genocide and reiterates its solidarity with all the families of all the victims, many of whom are yet to be identified. Nic Amirahmadi, Sheila Kazemi, Leah Bush and Scott.