The brutal genocide of 8,000 defenceless boys and men in Srebrenica left an indelible stain on the conscience of our world.
I shall never ever forget the day I heard those who were there and those who lost loved ones tell their stories in person. The quietness of their voices and the dignity with which they spoke seemed to magnify the pain of their memories and of their enduring distress. As I listened, I felt a bitter, burning shame. Shame that the world had allowed this to happen. And shame that 50 years after the end of the Second Word War, hatred and inhumanity were still claiming victims in Europe.
That is why we must always remember those who lost their lives. By bearing witness to successive generations we honour those who died and we renew our determination to turn the words ’never again’ into action. As those responsible are brought to justice, so the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina are teaching us that the way out of the darkness and into the light lies in the path of peace, reconciliation and friendship.
