Lessons of Srebrenica: Acknowledgement, Justice and Peacebuilding

In July 1995 the genocide of Bosniak muslims took place in and around the town of Srebrenica, Bosnia, part of the former Yugoslavia, a region that many people go to on holiday.  In the space of a few days thousands of people, mainly men and boys were killed.  All but one was Muslim. The 8,372 victims are remembered each year in Bosnia and around the world.

We will hear from one of the Srebrenica survivors, Nedžad Avdić, about what happened and how he survived. We will ask, 26 years later, whether acknowledgement, justice and peace building is possible in Bosnia - and what does Northern Ireland/Ireland have in common. Nedžad’s personal story will be followed by a question-and-answer session and will be facilitated by Peter Osborne, Chair of Remembering Srebrenica in Northern Ireland. Speaking about the event, Peter Osborne said: “Srebrenica is little known yet happened just 26 years ago in the heart of Europe.  The killings were generated by religious and identity differences, fuelled by the language and behaviour of hate and intolerance.  It’s not just about remembering the victims, important as that is.  It is also about understanding and challenging prejudice and racism before it goes as far as what happened at Srebrenica.”

To register to hear Nedzad’s story please contact Fermanagh and Omagh District Council’s Good Relation section by telephone on 0300 303 1777 or by email at [email protected].