MP Masse Remembers Srebrenica on the 29th Anniversary of the Genocide

Twenty-nine years have now passed since the Srebrenica Genocide took place in Bosnia and Herzegovina. This horrific event is commemorated annually on July 11 because on that day in 1995 Bosnian Serb forces, commanded by convicted war criminal General Ratko Mladic, executed more than seven thousand Muslim-Bosniak men and boys who had sought safety in the region after the fall of Srebrenica. Another 25,000 people were forcibly deported in an UN-assisted ethnic cleansing that was later referred to in the European Parliament's resolution as the “biggest war crime in Europe since the end of WWII”. It was declared an act of genocide by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia and the International Court of Justice.

On 19 October 2010, a motion that I introduced passed with unanimous support in Canadian House of Commons and established that July 11, each year, be recognized as Srebrenica Remembrance Day in Canada to remember the Srebrenica Genocide - one of five genocides officially recognized by the Government of Canada.

In 2011, I travelled to Bosnia and met with the mothers of Srebrenica, local leaders, and many others in the community. I remain committed to ensuring the sacrifices of those lost in this genocide will not be forgotten.

Equally important is that we continue fighting against genocide denial. Education in our schools about these crimes against humanity and annual public events and memorials are the best way to guarantee this history is known.

In my community of Windsor, Ontario, the local Bosnian Muslim community established this memorial in Windsor’s Jackson Park to honour the victims of the Srebrenica genocide. Every year since then, the Srebrenica Remembrance Day event is held at this memorial attended by not only residents but people from across the province and the country.

To the people of Srebrenica, and the thousands living in Canada today, we honour your sacrifices, remember your victims, and will continue working to ensure that such an event never again takes place,” Masse stated.

Watch MP Brian Masse speak in July 2020 at the Srebrenica Memorial in Windsor, Ontario: