July 1995 · Bosnia and Herzegovina
Srebrenica, 1995
After Bosnian Serb forces took Srebrenica in July 1995, more than 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys were killed. International courts established that genocide was committed. [1] [2]
What happened
Srebrenica was a UN-declared safe area. Bosnian Serb forces executed men and boys detained there or captured while fleeing towards government-held territory. [1]
Bodies were buried in mass graves, and many were later moved to other sites to conceal the killings. Forensic investigations and DNA identification have linked remains and helped identify victims. [1]
The ICTY Appeals Chamber's judgment in the Krstić case, issued on 19 April 2004, upheld the finding that genocide occurred at Srebrenica. The tribunal's record includes witness testimony, forensic evidence, documents, and findings on individual criminal responsibility. [2] [3]
Timeline
- 11 July 1995
Srebrenica fell to Bosnian Serb forces. Thousands of men and boys attempted to leave towards Tuzla. [1]
- July 1995 and subsequent months
Mass executions were followed by efforts to conceal bodies through burial and reburial at multiple locations. [1]
- 19 April 2004
The Krstić appeal judgment confirmed the finding that genocide had occurred. [2]
What the evidence does and does not establish
Identifications remain ongoing; their number differs from the total killed. Reburial complicates recovery. These gaps do not overturn the established finding of genocide. [1] [2]
Court judgments determine responsibility in specific cases. They should be read with their findings, reasoning, and appeal outcomes, rather than treated as a statement of collective responsibility for an ethnic group. [3] [2]
Calls to remember
In May 2024, the UN General Assembly designated 11 July as an international day of reflection and commemoration. The recorded vote was 84 in favour, 19 against, and 68 abstentions: a substantial international commitment, not unanimous agreement. [4]
Evidence and where to find it
Source links open the original records or their custodians' collections. Some contain distressing testimony or images.
Srebrenica
Describes ICMP's identification work and the evidence it supplied to criminal proceedings. Identification totals change as work continues.
Where to look: Srebrenica Genocide; explanation of mass graves, DNA identification, and unresolved missing-person cases.
Prosecutor v. Radislav Krstić — Appeal Judgment
A primary legal record of the findings and reasoning on genocide, with the appeal's treatment of individual responsibility.
Where to look: Case IT-98-33-A, section II: The Trial Chamber's Finding that Genocide Occurred in Srebrenica.
Srebrenica Genocide — Cases and archive material
An entry point to multiple proceedings and their evidence, including convictions, appeal records, and acquittals.
Where to look: Selected Case Information for judgments and case documents; Selected Archive Material for audiovisual exhibits admitted in trials.
General Assembly adopts resolution on Srebrenica genocide
Documents international support for commemoration and the differing positions expressed during adoption.
Where to look: Opening account of the resolution, its purpose, and the recorded vote.
Record history
- — Initial record linking forensic work, the Krstić appeal judgment, court archives, and the UN commemoration decision.