Joint statement on the 30th Anniversary of the Srebrenica Genocide
Thirty years ago, in Srebrenica, more than 8,000 Bosniak men and boys were murdered by the Bosnian Serb army. In 2007, the International Court of Justice ruled that the atrocities constituted genocide. The wider Bosnian War saw over 100,000 killed, thousands of women raped, and more than two million people forced from their homes between 1992 and 1995. On this solemn occasion remembering one of the darkest chapters in Europe’s recent history, the ALDE Party, LIBSEEN members in the region, ALDE in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, European Democratic Party, Liberal International, LYMEC, Renew Europe in the Committee of the Regions, Renew Europe in the European Parliament, and the Young Democrats for Europe are united in honouring their memory and issue the following statement:
Today our thoughts are with the survivors and families who continue to carry unimaginable pain and whose fight for justice and clarity goes on. The tragic events in Srebrenica did not happen in a vacuum. It was the outcome of a toxic blend of extreme nationalism, dehumanising propaganda, and international inaction. Sadly, we see the consequences of unchecked nationalism and militarism again in our time: in Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, in growing calls to redraw borders along ethnic lines in the Western Balkans, and in attempts to erode liberal democratic institutions from within the European Union itself.
The lesson of Srebrenica must not be one of silence, or symbolic remembrance alone; it must be a call to action. A superpower Europe that is truly “united in diversity” cannot be built on selective memory, on the political normalisation of hate, and on nationalism, revisionism of history, or genocide denial regaining ground in our societies.
As liberals and democrats, we are committed to a European future for the Western Balkans — one rooted in justice, democratic reforms, and regional cooperation. We call on all EU institutions and Member States to renew their support for the enlargement process and to treat the stability of the Western Balkans as a vital element of Europe’s broader geopolitical security. We are reminded daily that peace and democracy can never be taken for granted – they must be defended every day, against every threat, with courage and with a clear, principled, and united response. May the memory of the victims inspire us to build a Europe that truly protects peace, freedom, and human dignity — for all.
