Srebrenica: Remembering the Genocide
11 July marks the anniversary of the genocide committed in and around the town of Srebrenica, Bosnia in 1995.
About the Srebrenica genocide
11 July marks the anniversary of the genocide committed in and around the town of Srebrenica, Bosnia in 1995, in which over 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys were murdered. In the first ever United Nations declared safe area, thousands of men and boys were systematically murdered and buried in mass graves. The victims, who were Muslim, were selected for death on the basis of their identity.
The genocide at Srebrenica, Bosnia is described by the United Nations as “the worst atrocity on European soil since the Second World War.” Click here to learn about the massacre and the lessons from Srebrenica:
Remembering Srebrenica
Remembering Srebrenica NI is a charity part-funded by the UK Government and is committed to using the lessons from Srebrenica to help to build a better, safer and more cohesive society for everyone. The charity commemorates the victims of the 1995 genocide in Bosnia and Herzegovina, promoting education, and combating hatred and intolerance.
Click here for more information on Remembering Srebrenica NI:
Holocaust Memorial Day
The Srebrenica genocide is also commemorated along with other genocides as part of the annual Holocaust Memorial Day (HMD) Commemoration. Click here to learn about the Holocaust and subsequent genocides:
- Holocaust Memorial Day Trust | Learn about the Holocaust and genocides
- Resources — Holocaust Education Ireland
Srebrenica 30th Anniversary 2025
Junior Ministers Aisling Reilly and Pam Cameron joined guests at Belfast City Hall for a special commemoration marking the 30th anniversary of the genocide in Srebrenica. Organised by Remembering Srebrenica, the event remembered the more that 8,000 victims of the 1995 massacre in Bosnia.
The Junior Ministers paid tribute to the victims and survivors of the genocide and reaffirmed the Executive’s commitment to promoting peace and tolerance. They spoke of learning lessons from the past in order to build lasting peace and a better future for all.
Photograph: Junior Ministers Aisling Reilly and Pam Cameron with Azra Omerbegović, survivor of the Srebrenica genocide.
Holocaust Memorial Day 2025
2025 marked both the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau and the 30th anniversary of the genocide in Bosnia.
The Commemoration event in Belfast, hosted by The Executive Office in conjunction with the HMD Trust and Belfast City Council, heard from Holocaust survivor Peter Lantos in a pre-recorded video about the horrors he faced during Nazi rule.
Munira Subašić, president of the organisation ‘Mothers of Srebrenica’, who lost 22 members of her family including her two sons and husband, spoke movingly and urged attendees to recognise and learn from the atrocities that occurred during the genocide in Bosnia.
To commemorate the 30th anniversary, a powerful film, Srebrenica: Thirty Years Later was screened at the commemoration to ensure the lessons of Srebrenica are remembered.
Please click the link below to watch the event and read more about HMD 2025: Holocaust Memorial Day Trust | Northern Ireland marks Holocaust Memorial Day 2025
Photograph (from left to right): Lord Mayor of Belfast, Lu Lawrence - daughter of Holocaust survivor Zigi Shipper, dFM Emma Little-Pengelly, Fleur Anderson MP on behalf on the Secretary of State, Munira Subašić - President of the Mothers of Srebrenica, FM Michelle O’Neill, Rabbi David Kale, Shirley Lennon – HMDT, and Paul Lopez-Salzedo – HMDT.
25th Anniversary Commemorated at Stormont
A tree planting ceremony took place in 2020 on Stormont Estate to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the genocide at Srebrenica in Bosnia.
Mevlida Lazibi, who lost 36 family members in the genocide including her father, grandfather and brothers, travelled from London to take part in the memorial event.
Mevlida Lazibi presented Ministers with a Flower of Srebrenica and thanked them for hosting the event. Mevlida said: “I hope that the tree serves as a living reminder that genocide like Srebrenica can still happen in Europe.
"I hope also that as a living memorial to the thousands of innocent victims who lost their lives in Srebrenica, it grows a bond between Northern Ireland and Bosnia-Herzegovina as two regions coming out of conflict supporting each other in their pursuit of peace and reconciliation.”
Also participating in the tree planting were Junior Ministers Declan Kearney and Gordon Lyons, Finance Minister Conor Murphy, TEO’s Deputy Permanent Secretary Dr Mark Browne, and representatives of Remembering Srebrenica.
Please click here for more information: