Eighty-four UN members, including Iran, voted last Thursday in favor of a draft resolution to dedicate a day each year to commemorate the over 8,000 Bosnian Muslims killed on July 11, 1995, by Bosnian Serbs. Nineteen members, including Serbia, China, Russia, and Hungary, voted against the resolution, and 68 members abstained.
What is the significance of July 11?
In the final months of the bloody Bosnian War from 1992-1995, the United Nations declared the town of Srebrenica a safe zone to protect civilians, with Dutch peacekeepers assigned to guard it. However, after an attack on civilians, the Dutch peacekeepers abandoned their duties, leaving the area. This led to the massacre of over 8,000 Muslims by an extremist armed group, marking one of the worst crimes of the 20th century.
Over the past three decades, numerous Bosnian Muslim organizations have pursued international recognition of the Srebrenica genocide and the punishment of its perpetrators by the International Court of Justice in The Hague. As a result of these efforts, alongside the rulings of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia and the International Court of Justice on the Srebrenica genocide, a Dutch court in July 2014 ruled that the Dutch government was legally responsible for the massacre of more than 300 Bosnian Muslim men and boys in Srebrenica.
Recently, Bosnia and Herzegovina renewed efforts to pass a Srebrenica genocide resolution in the UN General Assembly, bypassing the Security Council to avoid vetoes. These efforts succeeded last Thursday when a resolution presented by Germany and Rwanda was adopted.
Iran's ambassador to the UN expressed Iran's support for the resolution and paid tribute to Iranian heroes who lost their lives aiding the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina during those tragic events.
According to Iran's ambassador to the UN, "The catastrophic situation in Palestine and the binding orders from the UN's main judicial body are the most relevant topics in the discussion on combating genocide. It is regrettable that this crucial issue has been overlooked. Nevertheless, adopting this resolution should remind the UN of its responsibilities towards every Palestinian woman, man, and child." After the vote, Iran included the issue of the Gaza genocide as part of its considerations. The explanation of Iran's vote stated that the UN must not repeat the mistake made in 1995. The painful lessons of the past, which came at great cost, should compel humanity to avoid, prevent, and stop similar atrocities from happening again.
NOURNEWS