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Srebrenica survivor accuses Serbia of ordering 1992 attack
🇷🇸 Serbia /Conflict & Security

Srebrenica survivor accuses Serbia of ordering 1992 attack

From N1 Serbia · () Serbian

Translated from Serbian, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Sources not specified Outcome reported
  • Kada Hotić, a Srebrenica genocide survivor, accused Serbia of ordering the 1992 attack on Bosniaks in the town.
  • She stated that Orthodox neighbors, acting on orders from Serbia and using Serbian-supplied weapons, attacked and looted Bosniak homes before the massacre.
  • Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani acknowledged Srebrenica as a major failure of the international community, while Albania's Foreign Minister emphasized the importance of remembrance and truth.

Kada Hotić, a survivor of the Srebrenica genocide and a mother of victims, directly accused Serbia of issuing orders for the 1992 attack on Bosniaks in the town. Speaking at a commemoration in the Potočari Memorial Center, Hotić recounted how Orthodox neighbors, allegedly acting on directives from Serbia and armed with weapons supplied by the country, initiated the assault.

We were attacked with all means, and before that, they confiscated all private weapons... We were left unarmed. Before they started shooting, they set fire to all the Bosniak houses. I spent nine nights in the forest.

— Kada HotićA Srebrenica genocide survivor describing the initial attack on Bosniaks.

"We were attacked with all means, and before that, they confiscated all private weapons... We were left unarmed. Before they started shooting, they set fire to all the Bosniak houses. I spent nine nights in the forest," Hotić stated, describing the harrowing events. She further recounted being gathered with others in the former battery factory, where Dutch UN soldiers were present. "They called us over the megaphone and guaranteed our lives and survival. We were deceived. They betrayed us," she added, highlighting the broken promises of safety.

They called us over the megaphone and guaranteed our lives and survival. We were deceived. They betrayed us.

— Kada HotićA Srebrenica genocide survivor recounting broken promises of safety after the attack.

Messages from international officials underscored the gravity of the Srebrenica genocide. Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani's message, read at the ceremony, recognized Srebrenica as one of the international community's "most serious failures" and a persistent warning. He emphasized that "the strongest response to this tragedy has only one name – Europe," and that the reunification of the Western Balkans with European history is a "strategic priority."

Srebrenica represents one of the most serious failures of the international community. It remains a strong warning today.

— Antonio TajaniItaly's Foreign Minister on the significance of the Srebrenica genocide.

Albanian Foreign Minister Olta Xhaçka, in a video message, described the Srebrenica genocide as a "calculated act of mass murder against Bosniak Muslims, targeted out of hatred." He stressed the importance of remembrance and truth, stating, "That is why remembrance is important, that is why truth is important." Damir Gutić, representing the government of Montenegro, stated that "the Srebrenica graveyard looks at us and warns us." He affirmed Montenegro's respect for the established truth and its support for the UN Resolution on Srebrenica, stating, "We clearly stood with the victims."

The Srebrenica graveyard looks at us and warns us.

— Damir GutićMontenegrin Minister of Social Welfare, Family Care and Demographics on the importance of remembering Srebrenica.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by N1 Serbia in Serbian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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