Thousands of Bosnian Serbs Rally in Banja Luka, Denying Srebrenica Genocide Despite UN Rulings

On Thursday, thousands of Bosnian Serbs gathered in Banja Luka, Bosnia, to protest a potential United Nations resolution that would declare July 11 as an international day of remembrance for the Srebrenica genocide. The protesters, responding to a call by Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik, denied that the 1995 massacre of over 8,000 Bosniak Muslim men and boys in Srebrenica constituted genocide, despite rulings by two UN courts.

Dodik, a secessionist leader, called the resolution "unacceptable" and claimed that "it is a lie that 8,000 people were killed in seven days." He has repeatedly denied that the Srebrenica massacre was a genocide and has paid tribute to Bosnian Serb wartime leaders Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic, who were both sentenced to life in prison by a UN court for war crimes during the Bosnian conflict.

Why this matters: The denial of the Srebrenica genocide by Bosnian Serb leaders, despite overwhelming evidence and international court rulings, highlights the ongoing ethnic tensions and political divisions in Bosnia nearly three decades after the war. The potential UN resolution commemorating the genocide has further inflamed these tensions, with Dodik threatening secession of the Republika Srpska entity from Bosnia.

The parliament of Bosnia's autonomous Serb Republic adopted a report stating that the Srebrenica massacre did not constitute genocide, contradicting the rulings of international courts. Serb Republic nationalist President Milorad Dodik told legislators that "genocide did not happen" and "Serbs did not commit genocide."

Serbia and the Serb Republic are campaigning against the UN draft resolution, fearing it could lead to Bosniaks seeking war reparations. The Hague-based International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia and the International Court of Justice have both established that the Srebrenica massacre constituted genocide, but a 2021 report commissioned by the Serb Republic government concluded that crimes took place but not genocide.

Dodik, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, expressed hope that a potential victory by former U.S. President Donald Trump in the upcoming election would create "different conditions" in which the Bosnian Serbs would "play." He reiterated his threats that Bosnian Serbs, who control about half of Bosnia, would split from the rest of the country if the Srebrenica resolution is passed in the U.N. General Assembly.

The Srebrenica genocide, in which Bosnian Serb forces killed around 8,000 Bosniak Muslim men and boys, was deemed a genocide by international justice and is considered Europe's worst single atrocity since World War II. So far, over 50 people have been sentenced to over 700 years in prison for genocide and other crimes in Srebrenica, including Radovan Karadžić and Ratko Mladić.

Key Takeaways

• Bosnian Serbs protest UN resolution to commemorate Srebrenica genocide.
• Bosnian Serb leader Dodik denies Srebrenica massacre was genocide, despite court rulings.
• Republika Srpska rejects genocide claims, contradicting international court decisions.
• Dodik threatens Republika Srpska secession if UN resolution is passed.
• Srebrenica massacre deemed genocide, with over 50 convictions for related crimes.