Youth in Serbia has the duty of thinking beyond propaganda in the wake of 29th anniversary of Srebrenica

Opinion piece by Anja Zlatović, CDN Executive Committee

On the 23rd of May 2024, there was a noticeable tension in Belgrade. Religious processions were going through the city, followed by black cars with large Serbian flags. Across student dorms, staff came into the rooms that morning to hang flags from the balconies and windows without outright approval of the residents. Around the city, on the overpass and fences, there were posters stating, seemingly out of context: “Serbs are not a genocidal people.”

But the context was very much known. On that day, voting on the UN resolution about Srebrenica was to take place. This resolution (that was voted in favour by 84 countries) established an annual International Day of Reflection and Commemoration of the 1995 Genocide on July 11. In the resolution, some passagesstates condemnation "without reservation any denial of the Srebrenica genocide as a historical event" and "condemns without reservation actions that glorify those convicted of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide by international courts, including those responsible for the Srebrenica genocide."  News portals followed closely and the media was filled with pictures of Serbian delegation, including president Aleksandar Vučić, almost comically wrapped in Serbian flags, sitting in the UN General Assembly room. 

Aleksandar Vučić in UN. Photo EPA-EFE/SARAH YENESEL, found at https://www.danas.rs/dijalog/licni-stavovi/sednica-un-o-genocidu-u-srebrenici-vucic/ 

The official state narrative, as declared by Vučić, was that the resolution should be voted against because it is “highly politicized”, as if there can be a non-political way to discuss the war and war crimes as atrocious as this one. What can be seen from all that the Serbian delegation presented, and from the strong campaign in Belgrade is that the government tries (and is still trying) to push the idea that calling what happened in Srebrenica in July 1995. a genocide is a move against Serbia as a country. Does the resolution ever present the idea that all Serbs are genocidal, as grandiose posters tried to convince us? Absolutely not. However, the idea was widely spread and, sadly, adopted as true without any objective facts.

This is nothing new, as Srebrenica has been a controversial topic in Serbia for a long time. Those who would dare to call genocide that happened for what it is, often face heavy backlash. For as long as I have been in the activist and political circles, there have been protests during memorial exhibitions, campaigns against politicians that openly talked about genocide, and threats against those who fought for justice (for example, Women in Black). The most common idea is that, yes, people were killed in Srebrenica, but that it wasn’t genocide, but a war crime at best. People often state that, as women were spared, there was no attempt to wipe out a whole nation, so it can’t be genocide per se. What is always ignored is that there are still widely available videos of Ratko Mladić, a military officer, and the Bosnian Serb Army of Republika Srpska, along with paramilitary troops connected to the Serbian government, entering the territory, committing crimes, deporting people, and proclaiming the area as Serbian, in the name of revenge on the Muslims. More than 8000 people, mainly men and boys, were killed, while women were mainly deported. To this day, 29 years later, some survivors are still looking for the remains of the loved ones.

Genocide is defined as a deliberate and systematic destruction of a group of people just because of their nationality, race, and/or religion, and it includes murder, torture, deportation, rapes, and other acts of violence targeting civilians. From the simple fact of comparing the definition with what we know happened in Srebrenica, it is evident that the intention of military and paramilitary Serbian armies was genocide. Yet, the Serbian government and the large number of Serb population still refuse to call it for what it is.

Cemetery in Srebrenica. Photo from: https://www.coe.int/en/web/portal/-/11-july-international-day-of-reflection-and-commemoration-of-the-1995-genocide-in-srebrenica 

As someone born in 1992. In Serbia, what I first learned was through my parents who went to all the protests against the war and against Slobodan Milošević, Serbian president at the time. While I don’t remember it myself, I know they also took me often to these protests, and there are still whistles among my toys from that time to confirm it. I was brought up to always speak up against injustice and to always critically approach political issues. I am not writing this here to paint myself as “one of the good Serbs” or to wash myself of the guilt - what I am trying to point out is that it is possible, even with propaganda as heavy as in Serbia, to still search beyond what is presented and fight against what is sometimes even forcibly pushed in our faces.

In the 90s there were big demonstrations in all of the ex-Yugoslav countries against the war and against the governments. People did not wish to fight their own neighbors and were ready to sometimes even violently face the police and military in order to go against the government and its propaganda. Why is it that thirty years later things seem to be worse? There is a problem that the media is ever present, and therefore propaganda is influencing people from all parts of life. Educational system in Serbia has been, for some time, an instrument of nationalism. Additionally, people are fighting inflation and fear for their survival every day, and it’s very easy in these situations to develop an idea of the enemy. Narrative that the evil West wants to demolish poor, unprotected Serbs is surely serving the government better than the fact that it can’t give satisfying living conditions to the citizens of the country. 

And yet, I still think it’s also on us, especially as young people, to do better and to think beyond this. The wounds of the Bosnian war were never healed in any of the ex-Yugoslavian countries. There is far too much pain, guilt and hate still. But even more hate and the argument about who suffered more is certainly not the path to healing. If we wish to make amends and to build a better future, we must face what was done in our name. That does not mean that I, you, or other people are inherently genocidal. That simply means that the crimes were done under the symbols of our country, that the government of our people did it, and that we have to call what happened by its real name in order to progress from it. 

Photo of the poster in Belgrade, by the highway, thanking “friends” that voted against resolution, abstained or didn’t show up. In the bottom it says “Proud Serbia and Srpska”. Photo by the author.

Trying to lessen horror of Srebrenica by calling it “simply” war crime not only does hurt those who were directly affected by the genocide and deepens the nationalistic gaps in the region, it does not help us living in Serbia to reach better future. If we lie to ourselves about the past, we still won’t erase it. There is no prize to be won - our future won’t be more peaceful, we won’t get richer, our planet won’t be healthier, our cities won’t be more livable. The only thing we do is confirm to the government that we support whatever lies they serve us, and that we aren’t willing to face our own past. Fighting for better society is not simply standing up to the outside oppressor, sometimes it means we have to face our own discomfort. Only by constant questioning, and searching for truth and empathy can we really move from the chains of the horrific and traumatic past that, sadly, Balkan seem still unable to shake off. 

Anja Zlatović