Following the events of recent days where a number of our colleagues from the Srebrenica Memorial Centre were summoned to the Republika Srbska police station in Zvornik for questioning, we wanted to share a letter our chair, Sabina Kadić-Mackenzie, sent to Scots parliamentarians at Holyrood and Westminster.
Dear Member,
We write to you today with a profound sense of urgency and concern regarding troubling developments affecting the Srebrenica Memorial Centre in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
We have learned that 26 members of staff and associates of the Srebrenica Memorial Centre have been summoned for questioning by the Republika Srpska police in Zvornik.
These individuals are dedicated professionals who carry out the Centre’s educational, research, commemorative and outreach work – work that is undertaken in an increasingly hostile environment marked by genocide denial, historical revisionism and the glorification of convicted war criminals. Most of them are themselves survivors of the genocide.
The implications of these actions extend far beyond those who have been summoned. They send an alarming and deeply intimidating message to survivors of the Srebrenica genocide, to returnees, to researchers, educators and campaigners across Bosnia and Herzegovina, and to all those committed to preserving the truth about the genocide. They also represent a direct threat to the internationally recognised and widely supported mandate of the Srebrenica Memorial Centre.
As chair of Beyond Srebrenica, a charity dedicated to teaching the lessons of the Srebrenica genocide and combating hatred through education, I believe these developments demand the attention of lawmakers in both Holyrood and Westminster. Silence in the face of intimidation only emboldens those who seek to undermine truth and justice.
We therefore urge you to:
- Raise these developments with the UK Government and relevant ministers responsible for foreign affairs and international human rights.
- Publicly reaffirm your support for the Srebrenica Memorial Centre and its vital work.
- Condemn any actions that seek to intimidate those preserving the historical record of the Srebrenica genocide.
- Support continued international engagement to protect those working to defend truth, memory and justice in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The United Kingdom has long stood alongside those seeking accountability for the atrocities committed at Srebrenica and has consistently recognised the importance of education in preventing future genocides. At a time when genocide denial and the glorification of war criminals are becoming increasingly emboldened, it is essential that our commitment to these principles remains steadfast.
We deplore these recent actions and ask that you use your voice and your office to ensure this deeply concerning situation receives the international attention it deserves.
Above all, we stand in unwavering solidarity with our friends and colleagues at the Srebrenica Memorial Centre. We send them our continued support as they continue their courageous work to defend truth, preserve memory and pursue justice.
We also encourage you to share awareness of these developments with parliamentary colleagues and through your public platforms so that international attention remains focused on what is happening in Zvornik, and so that our colleagues in Potočari know they are not alone.
History teaches us that silence in the face of intimidation carries consequences. We must not allow those committed to remembrance and historical truth to face these pressures without the support of the international community.
Since then, we have had a call with the Scottish Government to update them on events at the Memorial Centre in Potačari and will keep in contact with our colleagues there as the situation develops.
We are also speaking regularly to our friends in Bosnia and letting them know that we are supporting them from afar and sharing what’s happening with their supporters here in Scotland.
On Friday 7 August, MSP Pauline McNeill lodged a motion urging Scottish Parliament to support the demands of our letter. Read the full motion.