The Honourable Christopher Mitchelmore, Minister of Advanced Education, Skills and Labour, today proclaimed July 11 Srebrenica Remembrance Day.
In July 1995, the spa town of Srebrenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina, was the scene of the worst mass murder in Europe since the Holocaust. More than 8,000 Bosniak civilians were murdered and thousands more expelled from the area. The International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia and the International Court of Justice have ruled the massacre perpetrated by Bosnian Serb forces constituted genocide.
Newfoundland and Labrador joins jurisdictions throughout Canada and countries around the world in acknowledging and commemorating the 25th anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide.
The full text of the proclamation is provided in the backgrounder below.
Quote
“We all have a responsibility to condemn genocide because it is a horrific crime against all humanity. I encourage all Newfoundlanders and Labradorians to join people across the country and around the world who are commemorating the victims and supporting the survivors of the Srebrenica genocide on July 11.”
Honourable Christopher Mitchelmore
Minister of Advanced Education, Skills and Labour
– 30 –
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BACKGROUNDER
Proclamation for Srebrenica Remembrance Day
WHEREAS, In 1995, more than 8,000 Bosnian Muslims were murdered in Srebrenica by the army, paramilitaries and police forces of the Republic of Srpska. The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia and the International Court of Justice have ruled that this massacre was an act of genocide and is highlighted at the Canadian Museum of Human Rights;
WHEREAS, In 2010, the Canadian House of Commons unanimously passed motion M-416, which recognized the genocide and established Srebrenica Genocide Remembrance Day in Canada;
WHEREAS, In 2015, the House of Commons unanimously passed a historic motion to recognize the month of April as Genocide Remembrance, Condemnation and Prevention Month and named the ones recognized by Canada’s House of Commons, including the Srebrenica Genocide;
WHEREAS, In 2019, Members of the Canadian Parliament tabled Petition e-1837, calling upon the Canadian government to enact legislation that would prohibit Srebrenica Genocide denial in Canada;
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that I, Christopher Mitchelmore, Minister of Advanced Education, Skills and Labour on behalf of the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, recognize July 11, 2020, as a day for commemorating the 25th anniversary of Srebrenica genocide and call on all residents to join survivors of the Srebrenica genocide in Canada in remembering and reflecting on this terrible tragedy and to condemn this act of violence in the strongest possible terms.