The UN General Assembly declared July 11 as the ‘Srebrenica Genocide Remembrance Day’

The United Nations General Assembly adopted the draft resolution calling for July 11 to be declared as the ‘International Day of Remembrance and Reflection on the 1995 Srebrenica Genocide’ with 84 votes in favor and 19 against. The General Assembly of the UN approved the draft resolution to commemorate the genocide that took place in Srebrenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina on July 11, 1995, as an international day of remembrance. While 84 representatives voted in favor of the resolution for the ‘International Day of Remembrance and Reflection on the 1995 Srebrenica Genocide,’ 19 representatives voted against, and 68 representatives abstained. Among the countries that voted against the resolution presented by Bosnia and Herzegovina, Germany, and Rwanda were Serbia, as well as China, Russia, Syria, North Korea, Hungary, and Belarus. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic called on representatives to vote against the decision at the UN General Assembly before the vote. Vucic argued that this decision would ‘open Pandora’s box.’ The Serbian leader claimed that after the Srebrenica resolution, the UN General Assembly would have to evaluate dozens of similar resolutions, and he said the resolution would not contribute to peace. The decision declaring July 11 as the ‘Srebrenica Genocide Remembrance Day’ unequivocally condemns the denial of the Srebrenica genocide and invites member states to prevent the denial and distortion of the genocide. The resolution also calls on the UN Secretary-General to begin activities to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the genocide and to establish an informational program titled ‘Genocide in Srebrenica and the UN.’