HRA, CCE and ANIMA: Government, Parliament and ministries to say how they will mark the Day of Remembrance of the Srebrenica Genocide

Human Rights Action (HRA), the Center for Civic Education (CCE) and ANIMA - Center for Women's and Peace Education have asked the Government of Montenegro, the Parliament of Montenegro, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Human and Minority Rights to announce what activities they plan to mark July 11 - the International Day of Remembrance and Commemoration of the Srebrenica Genocide.

"In 2021, the Parliament of Montenegro adopted the Resolution on the Genocide in Srebrenica, which recognized the genocide committed in July 1995 and committed to condemning it and fostering a culture of remembrance. Also, according to the Resolution of the United Nations General Assembly from 2024, Montenegro has been obliged to officially mark July 11 as the Day of Remembrance for the Victims of the Srebrenica Genocide since last year. We have requested information from the competent institutions on the planned commemorative, educational and cultural programs, the budget funds allocated for their implementation, as well as the activities undertaken to improve education about the Srebrenica genocide and the culture of remembrance in Montenegro," the joint statement of three non-governmental organizations (NGOs) states.

The statement added that "at a time when genocide denial and ideologically and politically based revisionism are still present in the region, and bearing in mind that genocide denial represents its final phase, we believe that institutionally preserving the memory of the victims and publicly paying tribute represent not only a moral but also a political and social obligation of the state."

"We warn that the absence of a dignified and meaningful institutional commemoration of July 11 would be difficult to reconcile with the obligations that Montenegro has undertaken domestically and internationally and would send a worrying message about the state's attitude towards the victims of genocide, judicially established facts and a policy of remembrance based on respect for human rights. We expect the public to be informed in a timely manner about the planned activities and the manner in which state institutions will mark the Srebrenica Genocide Remembrance Day this year," the HRA, CCE and ANIMA said in a statement.