President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on July 11 commemorated the victims of the Srebrenica genocide on its 31st anniversary, saying Türkiye would never forget the massacre.
“On the 31st anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide, one of the most brutal genocides in history, I remember with sorrow and mercy all our Bosniak brothers and sisters who were massacred,” Erdoğan said in a social media post.
“I respectfully honor the cherished memory of our martyrs and pray for patience and strength for their families and loved ones. We will never forget Srebrenica,” he said.
More than 8,000 Bosniak men and boys were killed after Bosnian Serb forces under the command of Ratko Mladic captured Srebrenica on July 11, 1995.
Bosniak civilians had sought refuge in the U.N.-declared safe area, where Dutch peacekeepers were stationed.
Many of the victims were later taken to forests, warehouses and other sites before being killed. Their bodies were buried in mass graves in an attempt to conceal the crimes.
Since the war, the remains of victims recovered from mass graves and identified through forensic work have been buried each year on July 11 at the Potocari Memorial Cemetery.
A total of 6,772 victims have been buried at the cemetery, while 250 others were laid to rest in local cemeteries at the request of their families.
The remains of more than 1,000 victims have yet to be found.
Ten more identified victims whose families approved their burial were expected to be laid to rest at Potocari as part of this year’s commemorations.
In 2007, the International Court of Justice classified the atrocities committed in and around Srebrenica as genocide, based on evidence presented by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.
