Srebrenica-Potočari Memorial and Cemetery

In July 1995, the worst massacre in Europe since World War II took place in the Bosnian silver-mining community of Srebrenica. The civilian Muslim community at Srebrenica, fearing ethnic cleansing by Bosnian Serbs, fled their homes and sought refuge at the nearby UN base of Potočari. But Serbs forces were allowed to enter the refugee camps, where they systematically separated all of the men from the women and children. The women and children were bused away to safety in Tuzla, while the men were divided into groups, forced to dig mass graves, and then massacred. From among as many as 8,000 victims, more than 3,000 have been reburied at the Srebrenica-Potočari Cemetery.

The Srebrenica-Potočari Memorial and Cemetery represents a joint effort by the local population and the international community to honor the victims of the massacre. The project began shortly after the war ended, when an association of victims from Srebrenica sought to establish a foundation and memorial center where the remains of victims would be buried. Members of the association insisted that the center be built at the former base of the UN Battalion in Potočari, where Srebrenica residents had sought shelter. Five years later, in 2000, the Office of the High Representative established the Foundation of the Srebrenica-Potočari Memorial and Cemetery, and in 2003, Bill Clinton officially opened the site. In 2007, the OHR transferred responsibility for managing the site to the government of Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Foreign governments, the US in particular, have donated most of the memorial’s six-million-Euro cost. After extensive debate and negotiations, the government of Bosnia-Herzegovina allocated 250,000 Euros from its budget. Individuals throughout Bosnia also contributed. Each year, several hundred newly identified bodies are added to the cemetery in an annual ceremony held on the anniversary of the massacre.

In 2005, two days before the ceremony for the 10th anniversary of the massacre, Bosnian police found and successfully defused two large bombs that had been planted at the memorial.

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References

“Srebrenica finally buries its dead.” BBC News, March 31, 2003.
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Jones, Adam. “Case Study: The Srebrenica Massacre, July 1995.” Gendercide Watch.
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Mackic, Erna, and Merima Husejnovic. “From Anniversary to Anniversary.” Balkan Insight, July 17, 2008.
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The Memorial Center Srebrenica-Potočari (official site).
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“Families bury Srebrenica victims on 13th anniversary.” AP, July 11, 2008.
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Srebrenica Mothers in Srebrenica (official site).
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“Decision Enacting the Law on the Center for the Srebrenica-Potocari Memorial and Cemetery for the Victims of the 1995 Genocide.” Office of the High Representative, June 25, 2007.
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Zimonjic, Vesna Peric. “Bombs found at memorial for Srebrenica genocide.” The Independent, July 6, 2005.
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Discussions

Discussion of Srebrenica-Potočari Memorial and Cemetery

When is a memorial site a sacred space, and when is it a civic space? At the Srebrenica-Potočari Memorial and Cemetery, the distinction is admirably…

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Design of Srebrenica-Potočari Memorial and Cemetery

The memorial has two parts, divided by a road. On one side of the road is the cemetery, which is shaped like the petals of…

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