WORLD NEWS FOR MONTENEGRO DIASPORA
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AUTHOR:M.J. GDNUS
A monument to the victims of the Srebrenica genocide was unveiled in Luxembourg yesterday, in the presence of a large number of people – as a lasting memory of one of the darkest moments in contemporary European history.
The ceremony began with a verse from the Quran: “Whoever kills one innocent person, it is as if he killed the entire world…” – and in Srebrenica, it was said, the entire world was killed 8,372 times.
The unveiling of the monument was attended by political figures from the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, MPs, the Mayor of Luxembourg Lidia Polfer and her associates, representatives of the Embassy of Bosnia and Herzegovina in Belgium and Luxembourg, members of the Srebrenica Committee Luxembourg – who launched this initiative – as well as numerous members of the Bosniak community, including survivors of the genocide and families of the victims.
This important event brought together Bosniaks from the entire region - Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro and North Macedonia - who together raised their voices against forgetting and showed unity in preserving collective memory.
The monument, the work of the famous Luxembourgish architect Luc Theis, was unveiled in silence and deep emotion. After the unveiling, wreaths were laid and children, with great respect, laid flowers in honor of the innocent victims. A special moment was the recitation of the poignant song "Fatima" dedicated to Fatima Muhić - the baby killed on her birthday, the youngest victim of the genocide in Srebrenica.
In his address, survivor Jasmin Sinanović said:
"I stand here with sadness, but also with the strength I draw from memories and from the common struggle for truth. This is not just a monument - this is a pledge to remember and preserve the memory of all those who lost their lives in July 1995. I bear the responsibility that the world does not forget what happens when hatred becomes law, when humanity retreats in the face of evil."
He also said that there is no forgiveness without confession and repentance:
"Srebrenica is not just the name of a place - it is a wound of humanity. Let that wound be a warning to all those who remain silent in the face of injustice, who turn a blind eye to discrimination and who try to relativize suffering and crime."
Bosniaks in Luxembourg thanked the authorities of the Grand Duchy, and especially the city administration headed by Lydia Polfer, who, as they point out, was with them even in the most difficult times – when they were fleeing the war, but also today, when together with European cities they are erecting memorials to preserve the genocide in Srebrenica from oblivion. The unveiling of the monument in Luxembourg is not just an act of remembrance – it is a moral obligation towards the past and a warning for the future.
