Helsinki Committee: Acknowledging Srebrenica Truth is Key to Serbia's Future

Recognizing the truth about the 1995 Srebrenica genocide is a critical issue for Serbia's future, according to the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in Serbia. The organization asserts that the genocide continues to be systematically denied or relativized within Serbia.

The Helsinki Committee highlighted that legally convicted war criminals, including Ratko Mladić, are still portrayed as national heroes. They criticized state institutions for avoiding the acceptance of judicially established facts, arguing this disrespects victims and survivors and undermines the foundations of a democratic society governed by the rule of law and accountability.

The committee emphasized that remembering Srebrenica is not merely an issue of historical truth but serves as a litmus test for a society's political maturity and democratic potential. They contend that denying the genocide does not serve national interests but rather defends a policy that led Serbia into wars, international isolation, economic stagnation, and deep social crisis.

This policy, they stated, persists today through an authoritarian governance model, media control, the creation of enemies, and the instrumentalization of nationalism to maintain power. The Helsinki Committee linked the struggle for truth about Srebrenica to the student movement for a democratic Serbia, asserting that both fight for a state based on law, not political loyalty, and on facts, not propaganda.

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Poricanje genocida nije odbrana nacionalnih interesa. Ono predstavlja odbranu politike koja je Srbiju dovela do ratova, međunarodne izolacije, ekonomskog zaostajanja i duboke društvene krize.