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The European Parliament, – having regard to its
resolutions of 7 July 20051 and of 15 January 20092 on Srebrenica, –
having regard to the provisions of the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights, of the European Convention on Human Rights and of the
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, recognising
the right of everyone to life, liberty and security of person and to
freedom of thought, conscience and religion, – having regard to the
Stabilisation and Association Agreement between the European
Communities and their Member States, of the one part, and Bosnia and
Herzegovina (BiH), of the other part, which was signed in Luxembourg
on 16 June 2008 and entered into force on 1 June 2015, – having
regard to UN Security Council Resolutions 827 of 25 May 1993, 1551
of 9 July 2004 and 1575 of 22 November 2004, – having regard to Rule
123(2) and (4) of its Rules of Procedure,
A. whereas 11 July 2015 marks the 20th anniversary
of the act of genocide and ethnic cleansing that took place in and
around Srebrenica during the Bosnian War, which should serve as a
fresh reminder of the dangers of extreme forms of nationalism and
intolerance in society, further exacerbated in the framework of war;
B. whereas on 11 July 1995 the Bosnian town of
Srebrenica, which had been proclaimed a safe area by UN Security
Council Resolution 819 of 16 April 1993, was captured by Bosnian
Serb forces led by General Ratko Mladić, acting under the authority
of the then President of the Republika Srpska, Radovan Karadžić;
C. whereas, during several days of carnage after
the fall of Srebrenica, more than 8 000 Muslim men and boys, who had
sought safety in this area under the protection of the 1 OJ C 157 E,
6.7.2006, p. 468. 2 OJ C 46 E, 24.2.2010, p. 111. nited Nations
Protection Force (UNPROFOR), were summarily executed by Bosnian Serb
forces commanded by General Mladić and by paramilitary units,
including irregular police units; whereas nearly 30 000 women,
children and elderly people were forcibly expelled in a
massive-scale ethnic cleansing campaign, making this event the
biggest war crime to take place in Europe since the end of the
Second World War;
D. whereas the tragic events of Srebrenica left
deep emotional scars on the survivors and created long-lasting
obstacles to political reconciliation among ethnic groups in Bosnia
and Herzegovina (BiH);
E. whereas the Srebrenica massacre was recognised
as genocide by both the International Criminal Tribunal for the
former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in Appeals Judgment, Prosecutor v. Radislav
Krstić, Case No.: IT-99-33 of 19 April 2004, and the International
Court of Justice in the Case concerning Application of the
Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide
(Bosnia and Herzegovina v. Serbia and Montenegro) of 27 February
2007, p. 127, §297 (ICJ);
F. whereas multiple violations of the Geneva
Conventions were perpetrated by Bosnian Serb forces against the
civilian population of Srebrenica, including deportations of
thousands of women, children and elderly people and the rape of a
large number of women;
G. whereas, in spite of the efforts made to
discover and exhume mass and individual graves, the bodies of nearly
1 200 men and boys from Srebrenica have not yet been located and
identified;
H. whereas in 1999 the UN Secretary-General in his
report on the fall of Srebrenica declared that the UN failed to
implement its mandate, especially with regard to the protection of
the so-called ‘safe areas’, and thus shares responsibility;
I. whereas the EU is built on peaceful coexistence
and committed cooperation between its members; whereas one of the
main motivations for the European integration process is the will to
prevent the recurrence of wars and crimes against international
humanitarian law in Europe;
J. whereas on 30 January 2015 the ICTY upheld the
sentences of five high-ranking Bosnian Serb army officers convicted
for their involvement in the 1995 Srebrenica genocide; whereas some
of the convicted officers reported directly to former Bosnian Serb
army leader Ratko Mladić, who is currently on trial at the ICTY for
crimes including genocide;
1. Commemorates and honours all the victims of the
Srebrenica genocide and of all the atrocities during the wars in the
former Yugoslavia; expresses its condolences to and solidarity with
the families of the victims, many of whom are living without final
confirmation of the fate of their relatives;
2. Condemns in the strongest possible terms the
genocide in Srebrenica; solemnly declares that such horrendous
crimes must never happen again and states that it will do everything
in its power to prevent such acts from recurring; rejects any
denial, relativisation or misinterpretation of the genocide;
3. Emphasises the need for political
representatives in Bosnia and Herzegovina to acknowledge the past in
order to work successfully together towards a better future for all
citizens of the country; highlights the important role which
neighbouring countries, eligious authorities, civil society, art,
culture, the media and educational systems can play in this
difficult process;
4. Stresses the importance of the work done by the
ICTY and the need to take all necessary measures to accelerate the
trials and appeals and bring them to an end without undue delay;
reiterates that greater attention needs to be paid to war crime
trials being prosecuted at domestic level;
5. Reiterates the EU’s commitment to the European
perspective and further accession process of BiH and all Western
Balkan countries; believes that regional cooperation and the
European integration process are the best way to promote
reconciliation and to overcome hatred and divisions;
6. Urges the development of educational and
cultural programmes that promote an understanding of the causes of
such atrocities and raise awareness about the need to nurture peace
and to promote human rights and interreligious tolerance; expresses
its support for civil society organisations such as the Association
of Mothers of Srebrenica and Žepa Enclaves for their pivotal role in
raising awareness and building a broader basis for reconciliation
among all citizens of the country;
7. Regrets that the UN Security Council, which has
the primary responsibility for maintenance of international peace
and security, failed to pass a resolution commemorating the
Srebrenica genocide. This is especially regrettable, as the
International Court of Justice, the UN’s primary judicial body, has
determined that the crimes committed in Srebrenica were genocide;
8. Strongly welcomes the decision of the Council
of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina, taken unanimously, to
proclaim the 11th of July as Day of Mourning in Bosnia and
Hercegovina;
9. Instructs its President to forward this
resolution to the Council and Commission, the governments of the
Member States, the Government and Parliament of Bosnia and
Herzegovina and its entities, and the governments and parliaments of
the countries of the Western Balkans.
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