European Forum

Serbian Parliament adopts declaration condemning Srebrenica crimes

On 31 March, after 13 hours of heated debate, the Serbian Parliament adopted a landmark declaration condemning crimes committed against more than 7,000 Bosniak (Bosnian Muslim) men and boys in Srebrenica in July 1995. People were able to follow the debate live on the Serbian television.

The declaration
The exact text of the declaration reads: "The parliament of Serbia strongly condemns the crime committed against the Bosnian Muslim population of Srebrenica in July 1995, as determined by the International Court of Justice ruling." In part, it sends "condolences and an apology to the families of the victims because not everything was done to prevent the tragedy". Out of 149 present, 127 lawmakers supported the resolution, which does not mention the word "genocide", a concession to the junior government ally -- the Socialist Party of Serbia. For a European Serbia, G17 Plus, the Socialist Party, United Serbia Party, Pensioners' Party and minority parties all voted in favour of the resolution, while the Democratic Party of Serbia and the New Serbia Party voted against.

Serbian Parliamentary Speaker Slavica Djukic-Dejanovic announced on Monday (29 March) that a vote on the resolution would be held on 30 March, noting that while the declaration could be debated, no amendments would be allowed, meaning that the text would have to be voted on as it was presented to the floor of the assembly. Nada Kolundzija, head of the ruling For a European Serbia group, which is led by the Democratic Party (DS), said at the session that once the Srebrenica declaration was adopted, a tragic chapter in recent history would be closed and a new perspective would be opened, with international credibility and a restored image of Serbia. “Condemning the crime against the Bosniaks of Srebrenica, while paying respect to the innocent victims and offering condolences to their families, will left the burden off future generations which certain individuals have placed on us,” Kolundzija said.

Parliament Speaker Slavica Dukic-Dejanovic said members will soon debate a similar resolution denouncing war crimes committed against Serbs in the former Yugoslav republics.

Controversial debate
Some politicians strongly objected to the resolution because it specifically addressed Srebrenica and did not include other crimes committed during the wars in the former Yugoslavia. Other groups, on the other hand, including the Liberal Democratic Party, blasted the resolution for not going far enough in its condemnation of the crime, in particular criticising the fact that the text does not call the massacre a genocide. An organisation which groups together Serbian associations of families of missing persons in the former Yugoslavia requested an explanation for why the adoption of a separate declaration on Srebrenica was necessary, instead of one resolution condemning all crimes, in which victims would not be separated. The organisation questioned whether the weight of a crime can be measured by numbers.

Earlier, in January 2009, the European Parliament adopted a resolution and called on all European states to do the same and recognise 11 July, the date of the start of the Srebrenica massacre, as "a day of commemoration throughout the EU”.

Positive reactions from international community
Media outlets from all over the world reported on the adoption of the declaration, with many calling the decision an indication of Serbia's desire to distance itself from its ‘warlike’ past under the regime of Slobodan Milosevic. Others noted that the level of controversy surrounding the resolution was an indication of the divisions present in the country regarding its role in the wars of the 1990s.

Srebrenica has become a byword for genocide and a symbol of the horror of Bosnia's 1992-95 war. Around 7,000 Bosniak men and boys were executed by Bosnian Serb forces after they overran the UN-protected enclave in July 1995.

Sources: SETimes; Balkan Insight; Volkskrant (Dutch)