Srebrenica-Potočari Memorial and Cemetery Foundation

Srebrenica-Potočari Memorial and Cemetery Foundation
Name	Srebrenica-Potočari Memorial and Cemetery Foundation
Native name	Fondacija Memorijalni centar Srebrenica — Potočari
Established	2001
Location	Potočari, Bratunac, Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Type	Memorial and cemetery
Director	Nermin Duraković

Srebrenica-Potočari Memorial and Cemetery Foundation is a memorial institution located in Potočari near Srebrenica that commemorates the victims of the July 1995 massacre associated with the Bosnian War and the Siege of Srebrenica. The Foundation administers a memorial complex and cemetery, coordinates annual commemorations, facilitates identification and burial of remains through forensic collaboration, and engages with international actors including the United Nations, International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, and various non-governmental organizations. Its work intersects with proceedings before the International Court of Justice, national judiciaries such as the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and truth-seeking initiatives like the Institute for War and Peace Reporting.

Background and Establishment

The Foundation was established in the aftermath of the July 1995 events that culminated in the mass killing of Bosniak men and boys following the fall of the United Nations Safe Area of Srebrenica to forces commanded by leaders associated with the Army of Republika Srpska and political authorities in Republika Srpska. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, survivors, families of the victims, and international actors including the United Nations Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe, and humanitarian groups such as the International Committee of the Red Cross advocated for a permanent memorial in Potočari. The Foundation’s legal and administrative formation involved institutions from Bosnia and Herzegovina, municipal authorities of Bratunac, and donor states including Netherlands and United States agencies that had engaged with post-conflict reconstruction.

Mission and Objectives

The Foundation’s stated mission links commemoration, remembrance, and documentation, seeking to honor victims of the Srebrenica massacre while fostering accountability pursued at bodies like the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia and the International Court of Justice. Objectives include maintaining the memorial complex to international standards consistent with norms promoted by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and supporting forensic identification efforts coordinated with the International Commission on Missing Persons and university pathology departments from institutions such as University of Sarajevo and University College London. The Foundation also engages with educational programming involving organizations like the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust and academic partners including King’s College London and the European University Institute.

Memorial Complex and Cemetery

The memorial complex in Potočari comprises a cemetery, a visitors’ center, a memorial room, and commemorative installations designed in consultation with architects, artists, and historians who have worked on projects associated with Auschwitz-Birkenau, Yad Vashem, and the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. The cemetery contains marked graves for victims whose remains were recovered and identified by teams linked to the Forensic Architecture network and forensic anthropology units from Duke University and University of Stirling. The site hosts exhibitions that feature testimony collected by the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in Bosnia and Herzegovina, archival material from the State Archives of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and documentation from media organizations such as the BBC and Al Jazeera.

Annual Commemorations and Events

Each July the Foundation organizes ceremonies that draw survivors, international dignitaries, delegations from the European Union, representatives of the United Nations, and the diplomatic corps of countries including Turkey, Qatar, Netherlands, and United Kingdom. Memorial events include interfaith prayers involving leaders from Grand Mufti’s Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina, representatives of the Catholic Church in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the Serbian Orthodox Church, alongside speeches referencing rulings by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia and the International Court of Justice. Cultural programs have featured collaborations with institutions such as the National Theatre Sarajevo, the Bosnian Institute, and international artists who have exhibited at venues like the Venice Biennale.

Identification, Forensic Work, and Burials

Forensic investigation at the Foundation operates in partnership with the International Commission on Missing Persons, pathology departments from universities including University of Oxford and University of Zagreb, and laboratories accredited to standards promoted by the World Health Organization. Exhumations coordinated in municipalities such as Bratunac and Vlasenica feed into DNA identification programs that rely on reference samples collected from families and databanks comparable to those managed by the Red Cross and the Sudan Humanitarian Relief Commission. Identified remains are ceremonially buried in the Potočari cemetery during mass burials and individual interments attended by family delegations and observers from the European Court of Human Rights and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe.

Governance, Funding, and Partnerships

The Foundation’s governance structure includes a board with representation from survivor associations such as the Association of Srebrenica Mothers, municipal authorities of Bratunac, and international advisors drawn from institutions like the United Nations Development Programme and donor governments including Norway and Sweden. Funding sources combine state allocations from entities within Bosnia and Herzegovina, grants from the European Union, contributions from bilateral development agencies such as USAID, and philanthropic support from foundations like the Open Society Foundations. Partnerships extend to legal aid groups that worked on cases before the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina and international human rights NGOs including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International.

Controversies and Legal Issues

The Foundation’s activities have been situated within broader contested narratives about responsibility for the Srebrenica massacre, generating disputes involving political actors in Republika Srpska and representatives of the Bosniak community; these disputes have intersected with rulings by the International Court of Justice and indictments from the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. Legal challenges have arisen over land ownership in Potočari, commemoration practices reviewed by municipal authorities in Bratunac, and diplomatic tensions exemplified by incidents involving delegations from Serbia and Croatia. Debates persist regarding interpretations offered by historians at institutions such as the University of Belgrade and memorialization approaches compared with those at Holocaust Memorial Museum and other international sites.

Category:Memorials in Bosnia and Herzegovina