This “journey” through time arrived at the last station. In order to remind you, I was writing about genocides that happened in three countries I visited this year. I wrote about Holocaust in Poland and Great Crime in Armenia. This time I’m going to write about genocide that happened in Bosnia and Herzegovina, my homeland.

I was born during terrifying and sad moments in the history of my country. It was 1994 and the noise of grenades was forgotten for a moment, hearing the cry of a little baby. I brought a piece of light and happiness in life of my parents. My mom and dad were really brave and believed in love, even though they were living, basically, in a garage and eating potatoes every day.

Anyhow, I’m alive. I grow up and I am here. Writing about genocide that happened in Bosnia and Herzegovina twenty years ago.

The term “Bosnian Genocide” refers to ethnic cleansing campaign throughout areas controlled by the Army of the Republika Srpska
that took place during the 1992–1995 war. The events in Srebrenica in 1995 included the killing of more than 8,000 Bosniak (“Bosnian Muslim”) men and boys, as well as the mass expulsion of another 25,000–30,000 Bosniak civilians, in and around the town of Srebrenica in Bosnia and Herzegovina, committed by units of the Army of the Republika Srpska (VRS) under the command of General Ratko Mladić.

The ethnic cleansing campaign that took place throughout areas controlled by the Bosnian Serbs (majority Orthodox) targeted Bosniaks (majority Muslim) and Bosnian Croats (majority Catholic). The ethnic cleansing campaign included unlawful confinement, murder, rape, sexual assault, torture, beating, robbery and inhumane treatment of civilians; the targeting of political leaders, intellectuals and professionals; the unlawful deportation and transfer of civilians; the unlawful shelling of civilians; the unlawful appropriation and plunder of real and personal property; the destruction of homes and businesses; and the destruction of places of worship.

After twenty years, there are still around seven thousands of people missing!

Both of my previous articles were pointing out that the people are not talking about these events enough, but I was surprised when I saw that my university, Ca’Foscari, was organizing the seminar under the name “1995-2015, 20 anni di pace fredda in Bosnia ed Erzegovina”.

On December 14. I participated at the conference and I think it represents a good start of discussions about the genocide and raising awareness about it.

I hope that missing persons are going to be find and honourably buried. I hope that criminals are going to be indicted and detained. I hope that peace will lasts and that my country is going to continue growing and developing faster. I hope to see Bosnia and Herzegovina flourishing and shining. My country deserves it!

di Mirheta Omerovic