Ms. Gail Stephens
Interim President and Chief Executive Officer
Canadian Museum for Human Rights
85 Israel Asper Way
Winnipeg, MB R3C 0L5
June 20, 2015
On behalf of Canada’s Bosniak community, the Congress of North American Bosniaks {CNAB} and the Institute for Research of Genocide Canada (IGC) would like to thank you for planning a public education event on July 11th at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, in collaboration with Manitoba’s Bosniak community, to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Srebrenica Genocide. We would also like to express our gratitude for the fact that a permanent exhibition commemorating this genocide remains on display at your museum.
The events that occurred in and around Srebrenica in July of 1995 has been recognized as genocide by The Hague, the ICTY (International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia), Canada, the United States, and the European Union, among others. This is the largest massacre to have taken place on European soil since the end of World War II. These acts are a disgrace to Europe and the world. We must never forget what happened in Srebrenica. Ultimately, the world failed Bosnia in its hour of need. For the past 20 years, survivors of the Srebrenica genocide have been seeking justice for the 8,372 men and boys killed by Bosnian Serb forces in what was supposed to be a United Nations protected enclave. This coming July 11th marks the 20th anniversary of the Srebrenica Genocide. Many survivors of this event, and of the Bosnian War, have made Canada their home after being forced to flee their country of origin. These people include those who survived ethnic cleansing, concentration camps and rape camps, as well as those who witnessed the slaughter of family members and loved ones.

The Canadian Srebrenica Genocide Resolutions, passed in 2010 and 2015, affirm that the policies of aggression and ethnic cleansing, as implemented by Serb forces in Srebrenica, meet the terms defining the crime of genocide in Article 2 of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, and condemn statements that deny or question that the massacre at Srebrenica constituted a genocide. The existence of these resolutions also helps encourage Canadian institutions to study the lessons of the Srebrenica Genocide, issues informed guidance on how to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future, and strengthens Canada’s resolve in maintaining and reaffirming its policy of supporting the independence and territorial integrity of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The 20th anniversary of the Srebrenica Genocide will provide a good opportunity to remember the many thousands who lost their lives, to remember their families, as well as those who remain missing. For many people - including the Mothers of Srebrenica - this agony continues every day, undimmed by the passage of time.
It is necessary for us to reaffirm our determination to take action in order to prevent genocide from reoccurring in the future. After the Holocaust, and with the words “Never Again”, the world took it as a given that genocide could not happen again. Srebrenica is proof that we cannot take this for granted. We must collectively continue to work towards creating a world where the danger of genocide will cease to exist.
For your information, Toronto’s Bosniak community is planning to commemorate this anniversary with a silent march, “Never Forget”, that will take place through the city’s downtown core on July 11th. Special sponsors of this event include MP Brian Masse, MP Paul Dewar, MP Irwin Cotler, former MP Borys Wrzesnewskyj, and former MP Rob Oliphant.
Your efforts to honour Srebrenica and keep its memory alive will help to create a world where justice and freedom exist for all, where individuals and groups can cease to fear persecution on the basis of race, religion and ethnicity, and where the denial of genocide will not be tolerated.
We thank you again for all that you have done for the victims and survivors of Srebrenica - and of the Bosnian war - and look forward to collaborating with you again in the future.
Kind Regards,
Professor Emir Ramic
Chairman
Institute for Research of Genocide Canada