The Hague, 14 July 2022: The International Commision on Missing Persons (ICMP) strongly condemns the decision of Bratunac mayor to deny Srebrenica genocide survivors the access to the Kravica agricultural cooperative site to commemorate the killing of their loved ones on this location.

Article 20 of the Bosnia and Herzegovina Law on Missing Persons prescribes that families of the missing or their associations may request that locations of burials and exhumations (individual or joint) are marked, regardless of the number of victims. Therefore, the decision by Bratunac mayor not only prevents the families of the victims of their basic right to mourn their loved ones, but it is also illegal.

The decision to prevent families of the victims to mourn the loss of their loved ones undermines the reconciliation process and creates new divisions between citizens in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Political leaders on all levels have the responsibility to be at the forefront of all the efforts to honor all victims of the ‘90s armed conflict.