Newsletter

1. Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) 

The OHCHR is the principal human rights entity of the United Nations. Its functions include promoting and protecting all human rights, helping to empower people, and developing a human rights perspective in all United Nations programs. The current United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights is Mr. Volker Türk.

– On May 23, 2024, the UN General Assembly designated July 11th as the International Day of Reflection and Commemoration of the 1995 Genocide in Srebrenica.

Names of the 8,372 victims. Source: Remembering Srebrenica.

The Srebrenica genocide was the murder, from July 11 to 25, 1995, of 8,372 Bosnian Muslims, of varying ages, in the region of Srebrenica, a municipality in eastern Bosnia and Herzegovina. The High Commissioner expressed that the resolution recognizes the survivors and their search for truth, justice, and guarantees of non-repetition. He pointed out that the importance of the resolution also lies in the fact that high-ranking political leaders in Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as neighboring countries, deny the Srebrenica genocide and profess hate speech concerning it. As a consequence, he stated that it is the responsibility of political leaders in the region to build peaceful societies where their inhabitants can live in peace and freedom, without any discrimination or fear of violence or conflict. The High Commissioner concluded by stating that he stands against the denial of the genocide that took place in Srebrenica, as well as the war crimes and crimes against humanity that were committed in the country during 1992 and 1995. The press release can be found here.