On 31st May 1992, a radio message was broadcast across the Prijedor municipality in north west Bosnia.  It instructed all Bosnian Muslims (Bosniaks) to wear white armbands and hang white sheets from their houses.  Reminiscent of the yellow star diktat for Jews in World War Two, this instantly made them targets for the Serb campaign of ethnic cleansing in the region. 

For the next three and a half years over 3000 Bosniaks were killed and tens of thousands were sent to concentration camps such as Omarksa, Trnopolje and Keraterm. Women and girls were subjected to systematic rape and other crimes against humanity.

To this day, the authorities in Serbian-governed Prijedor refuse to publicly acknowledge any of the crimes committed in the municipality.  They have even rejected pleas to raise a memorial to the 102 children who died during the atrocities.

This week we were joined by MSPs at Scotland’s parliament to remember these events. Together we say: Never forget.  Never again.