US embassy in Bosnia calls for justice for Srebrenica, Trajkovic accuses Vučić of protecting the accused

Aleksandar Vučić, the President of Serbia, usually refers to the Srebrenica massacre as a “grave crime”, but avoids the term “genocide”, even though the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) have clearly classified it as genocide.

In 1995, when the Srebrenica genocide took place, Aleksandar Vučić was an active member of the Serbian Radical Party, an ultra-nationalist party led by Vojislav Šešelj, who was later indicted for war crimes. Vučić advocated radical positions at the time and even declared in the Serbian parliament: “For every Serb killed, 100 Muslims will be killed.”

Criticism came from Rada Trajkovic, who reacted to Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić’s statement commemorating the Srebrenica genocide, accusing him of hypocrisy and trying to gain political advantage in the eyes of the international community.

In her view, Vučić continues to avoid confronting Serbia’s criminal past and protects the perpetrators of war crimes – from the genocide in Srebrenica in 1995 to the attack in Banjska i Zvečan in 2023.

Trajković questioned the purpose of Vučić’s statement in English: “Why such an important statement in English? Wouldn’t it be more appropriate to make it in Serbian so that those you are defending can also hear it? Or are you just trying to polish your international image and preserve your power while collectively shifting the blame onto the citizens?”

In the run-up to the 30th anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide, the United States has reaffirmed its support for justice and efforts to bring the perpetrators of serious war crimes in Bosnia and Herzegovina to justice. The Chargé d’Affaires of the US Embassy in Sarajevo, Daniel Koski, emphasized that the US remains committed to peace, reconciliation and coexistence.

“The commemoration of the genocide is not just a reminder of the past, but a reaffirmation of our shared commitment to justice, empathy and human dignity. It is an opportunity to transform tragedy into hope,” Koski said, expressing his respect for the victims and all those who remember the pain of Srebrenica.

In July 1995, over 8,000 men and boys were killed by Republic of Srpska forces in the Srebrenica area – an act internationally recognized as genocide. To date, more than 50 people have been sentenced to almost 700 years in prison for the crimes committed.

/The Geopost