The Dialogue Committee of the Srebenica Memorial Center is currently visiting Austria. On that occasion, they first visited the Mauthausen Memorial, and then the Parliament of Austria.
RESOLUTION
Thus, they had the opportunity to talk with some of the key actors in the adoption of the Resolution on commemorating the victims of the genocide in Srebrenica. We remind you that the Resolution was adopted unanimously on July 7 this year, and the initiators of the document are the Union of BiH. association in Austria "Consilium Bosniacum".
The dialogue committee, which consists of representatives of four associations of mothers of Srebrenica, employees of the Memorial Center and members of the academic community and activists in the field of transitional justice, met with representatives in the Parliament of Austria and discussed cooperation with the Memorial Center of Srebrenica, the fight against genocide denial and the Resolution itself.
- Today's visit was spent discussing ways in which the Parliament of Austria can support the work of the Memorial Center, be it through learning about the genocide in Srebrenica, its causes and consequences, and cooperation in the field of education and public awareness of the genocide. We are sure that the Memorial Center has allies in the people with whom we had the opportunity to talk and exchange experiences today, and we are confident that after the adoption of the Resolution, they will continue to work in accordance with its text. We would also like to thank the Government of the United Kingdom, which, with the support of the "Truth, Dialogue, Future" project, enabled the work of the Committee for Dialogue and the Memorial Center to be recognized in the highest legislative bodies of European countries, said the Srebrenica Memorial Center.
Alma Zadić, Minister of Justice of Austria, who before the adoption of the Resolution was on an official visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina, after the meeting with the Dialogue Committee, emphasized the importance of the fight against incitement of hatred and inspiration from the life stories of the mothers of Srebrenica in their fight for justice.
- Their stories are touching and painful. Their sons and husbands were killed, very often only they survived. They were left alone. But their stories are a testimony of courage, will and hope. Every day they stand anew for a dignified memory and a culture of memory. They show us what we have to learn from the past, to be careful, to recognize the first signs quickly enough. When inciting hatred threatens our peaceful coexistence, we must act, wrote Alma Zadić.
Chairwoman of the parliamentary group of friendship between Austria and BiH and member of parliament, Bedrana Ribo, singled out the importance of such visits and groups for building peace, and specifically referred to the mothers of Srebrenica, saying that in July of this year, "they were one of the first EU countries to send an important signal in the National council with a resolution concerning the genocide in Srebrenica", and that such resolutions raise awareness not only about the past, but also about the future.
- In discussions with the Dialogue Committee, Minister Zadić and I had the opportunity to talk about the future. It is important in these times where there is widespread polarization and denial of the past to create awareness about the crimes of the past. This is our responsibility as politicians - to the victims of genocide and their families, but also to future generations. The mothers of Srebrenica, who lost family members in the genocide, are for me a symbol of peace and hope, said Ribo.
Ewa Ernst-Dziedzic, also a parliamentarian from Austria, went through the process of passing the Resolution on the genocide in Srebrenica with other attendees, and announced a possible visit of a parliamentary group from Austria to the Srebrenica Memorial Center.
After the Parliament of Austria, the members of the Dialogue Committee met at the Austrian Institute for International Relations with the former High Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Wolfgang Petritsch, during whose mandate the Memorial Center in Srebrenica was established, which he spoke about. Christian Durr, representative of the Mauthausen memorial, also attended the meeting.
The visit ended with a meeting and dinner with the Ambassador of Bosnia and Herzegovina to the Republic of Austria, H.E. Kemal Kozarić.
Source: Oslobođenje.ba
Photo: Abhishek Kahlon
A member of the Dialogue Committee of the Srebrenica Memorial Center is Dr. Muamer Džananović, research associate of the Institute for Research of Crimes Against Humanity and International Law, University of Sarajevo.