Panel discussion: Memorialization of genocide…

The war that followed the breakup of the former Yugoslavia claimed more than 100,000 lives in Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1992 and 1995, mostly of Bosnian Muslims, and displaced more than two million others. The list of atrocities committed during that time is overwhelming, but Srebrenica, without a doubt, became its darkest chapter. Previously declared as the UN "safe area," 8,372 women, men, and children were systematically executed in July 1995 in and around the town of Srebrenica, the largest atrocity on European soil since the Second World War, adjudicated as genocide by international courts. It stands as a harrowing reminder of the consequences of unchecked ethnic hatred and political failure.

Remembering is a basic human instinct, and memory cannot be imprisoned—it will usually come out in one form or another. The challenge is to find ways to harness memory to learn lessons from the past to avoid repeating it.

Memorialization is a process that satisfies the desire to honor those who suffered or died during the conflict, to examine the past, and to address contemporary issues. The memorialization of genocide rests at the complex intersection of justice, truth, and healing for affected communities and the global collective conscience. It can either promote social recovery after violent conflict ends or crystallize a sense of victimization, injustice, discrimination, and the desire for revenge. It is important to be firmly based on judicial determination, as memorialization can also be shaped by those in power in a highly political process.