Our Chairman Elaine Motion has just returned from Bosnia and Herzegovina as part of the delegation organised by Remembering Srebrenica (Scotland).  The delegation was taken around Sarajevo with details from a survivor from the siege in Sarajevo; met the British Ambassador as well as attending Srebrenica itself.
They met a forensic anthropologist who has worked tirelessly to identify nearly 8400 men who were massacred over 5 days in Srebrenica in 1995 by the Bosnian/ Serb Army. They estimate 12,000 were actually killed. That occurred despite there being a UN peacekeeping force in the town. They attended the mortuary where the remains of many are still to be identified; met 3 women who were each making a significant impact in relation to bringing people to justice for this atrocity as well as crimes committed against women and girls as well as in Sarajevo itself. They have given their lives to piecing together evidence to force the relevant authorities to invest in the identification and burial of family members as well as to prosecute the perpetrators of the violence. The delegation also met 2 survivors of the “death march” one of who had actually been led to his death and shot in a mass execution but survived.   Elaine commented: “To be invited as part of a delegation was a huge privilege.  It was both immensely harrowing and inspiring at the same time.  The atrocities committed on the women, men and children are beyond any understanding but the strength of the survivors and the courage to bring the perpetrators to justice is humbling beyond words.  What these people have been through and indeed what they are continuing to go through in a political environment that is still very unstable is beyond any real description”. 
Kezia Dugdale, one of the delegation, has published an article in the Herald which can be read by clicking here. A further article about the women of Srebrenica can be read by clicking here. 
If you would like to donate to Srebrenica (Scotland) please do so using the following account details:
Bank Account No: 20370778 / Sort Code: 608301 – Unity Trust Bank
You can also Click here to make a Gift Aid Declaration.