Remembering Srebrenica has partnered with three other genocide prevention charities to release a video warning of the consequences of discrimination and rise of ‘fake news’. The charities have come together for the first time to highlight how we can learn from the past to show that we must resist the spread of fear and mistrust based on difference.
The video features Kemal Pervanic, who was a 24-year old Muslim living in Prijedor, north-eastern Bosnia, when his life was torn apart by the Bosnian war. Following the use of propaganda to create hatred and division, Kemal witnessed neighbour turning on neighbour, saw his teacher become his torturer, and in 1992 Bosnian Serb forces imprisoned Kemal and his brother in the notorious Omarska concentration camp.
Based on his own experiences, Kemal felt the need to speak out following President Trump’s Executive Order on suspending refugee admission to the US and barring entry to citizens from seven majority Muslim countries.
Kemal is now a human rights activist and educator living in the UK, who has travelled widely to share his experiences – including to the USA. He sees his testimony as an important narrative to show what fear and prejudice could ultimately lead to.
The four charities involved in promoting this video firmly believe that we must learn from the past to prevent similar, horrific incidents from happening again and speak out when we see injustices or the slow creep of discrimination and prejudice.
Remembering Srebrenica, Aegis Trust, STAND and Most Mira urge you to view, consider and share this film as widely as possible.
