What I learned from my visit abroad.
In 2014, I visited the Srebrenica-Potočari Memorial and Cemetery for the Victims of the 1995 Genocide. There I saw rows upon rows of tall white gravestones, marking the resting places of over 6,000 of estimated 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys from the town of Srebrenica who were rounded up and killed by Bosnian Serb forces. As I walked around, I could not help but become overwhelmed with emotion, and mourn those who were senselessly killed.
Halfway around the memorial, I stopped and muttered to myself: “How can people do this?” “How come we did not stop this?” Those gravestones told a story I was not prepared to hear. Those gravestones told a story of a devastating deficit in our collective capacities to prevent atrocities and protect the lives of civilians at risk. Overwhelmed by these realizations, I continued to bear witness. The memorial represented the ills of our society – a visual testament to what happens when the world stands silent.
However, within these chaotic and gloomy reflections is an insistent call and an obligation that we – as humans of faith and conscience – must take action and encourage our leaders to do better. To this day, I continue to hold dearly to and work toward a vision of a world free of war and the threat of war because of this profound experience.
Just weeks ago, former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic was found guilty of genocide for the Srebrenica massacre by international tribunal in The Hague. Karadzic’s conviction is an important step toward justice and accountability for atrocities.
The tragedy in Bosnia holds lessons for the United States and international community in how to handle current crises by paying better attention to the early warning signs of genocide, and ensuring action is taken as early as possible.
Right now, there is an important opportunity to pass legislation that would institutionalize the structures, tools and resources to enable the U.S. government to better prevent atrocities. The Genocide and Atrocities Prevention Act (S.2551) – introduced by Senators Ben Cardin (D-MD) and Thom Tillis (R-SC) – will authorize a permanent, inter-agency Atrocities Prevention Board (APB) that will ensure action at the highest level of the U.S. government.
April is Genocide and Atrocities Prevention Month. We have already highlighted recent successes on prevention, and lessons learned fromgenocide in Guatemala.
Today, we specifically remember those impacted by the genocide in Srebrenica. In 1995, the world was largely indifferent to the violence, and failed to respond to, let alone prevent, the atrocities. We cannot let this happen again. Join us today by taking action to urge your elected officials to invest in prevention by co-sponsoring and supporting the Genocide and Atrocities Prevention Act.