Genocide Denial on the Anniversary of Srebrenica
By: Sofia Gilmore and Alexander Smith
July 11, 2026 marked the 31st anniversary of the Srebrenica Genocide, in which Bosnian Serb forces under the command of General Ratklo Mladić overran Srebrenica, a United Nations (UN)-designated “safe area,” and committed mass killings and genocide.
There have been many attempts at memorializing the genocide at Srebrenica. In 2000, then-High Representative Wolfgang Petritsch designated Potočari as the site of a cemetery dedicated to the Srebrenica genocide victims. The Srebrenica Memorial Center complex hosts documents related to the genocide and exhibits personal stories. Last year, Bosnian artists gifted a memorial titled the “Flower of Srebrenica” to the UN. The UN, in turn, has designated July 11 as the International Day of Reflection and Commemoration of the 1995 Genocide in Srebrenica. Despite these efforts, genocide denial remains a persistent challenge in the country and region at large.
Genocide denial is often used to minimize pain and deny accountability. Denial prevents the chance of lasting peace. In times of rising right-wing extremism, the denials of previous and ongoing genocides continue to worsen. During the years following the Srebrenica genocide, commissions were established to investigate the violence. However, rampant denial led leaders to state that any reports of a genocide were biased and invalid. Attempting to minimize the violence, genocide deniers referred to the acts of Serb forces as an “ethnic cleansing.”
A major denialist is Milorad Dodik, longtime political leader of Bosnian Serbs and Republika Srpska. He has consistently celebrated war criminals and derailed efforts to stop genocide denial. In 2021, Dodik led a major rejection of the criminalization of denial. That year, Valentin Inzko, former Austrian Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina and European Union (EU) Special Representative, attempted to criminalize denial through imposing amendments to the criminal code with punishments ranging from six months to five years in prison. Dodik and others have stated they would not accept this amendment and launched a petition stating that the Srebrenica genocide did not occur. A year later, ethnic Serbs at an outlawed holiday celebrated war criminals, sang nationalistic songs, and continued to deny the genocide. In 2025, Dodik was convicted in Bosnia and Herzegovina and banned from politics for blocking the orders of the diplomat assigned to carry out the Dayton Peace Accords that ended the war. United States (US) President Trump last year removed sanctions on Dodik and his family, a sign that the administration was hoping to generate goodwill with the separatist and genocide denier.
During this year’s memorialization, the effects of festering genocide denial and relativization were on full display. On July 4, 2026, Dodik spoke at a commemoration for Serbians killed at Bratunac. He was joined by Pastor Mark Burns, a self-proclaimed spiritual advisor to US President Trump. On the July 11 anniversary, Dodik was silent about Srebrenica and instead posted about the killing of Serbs in Kozara and Jasenovac in World War II. Serbian State Secretary Đorđe Todorov also ignored Srebrenica, taking the day to “remember genocide against the Serb people.” A new campaign was launched by the Memorial Center of Republika Srpska in Banja Luka, a government-run organization which frames the 1990s as the decade of Serbia’s “Defensive-Patriotic Wars.” Its international campaign is called “Learn About Serbian Suffering.” The official press agency of Republika Srpska published three stories containing the word genocide on July 11, but not one was about Srebrenica. This demonstrates a clear pattern of institutionalized genocide denial exploited by the majority-Serb political entity.
The rhetoric both glorifying and denying genocide has had a tangible impact on Bosnia’s population. The Srebrenica Memorial Center recorded over 90 cases of genocide denial in just one year. During the 2026 anniversary, after a burial held at the Center, a passing boat played nationalistic songs that called for a new genocide. Soon after, survivors of Srebrenica emphasized these incidents when speaking with the UN about the struggle to uphold their families’ memory while navigating increasing denial in their country. Similarly, while hosting a Srebrenica memorial in Serbia, activist and author Vladimir Arsenijevic was badly beaten by a group of hooligans. His memorial was reportedly covered with graffiti honoring convicted Bosnian-Serb war criminals.
Events and rhetoric responding to this year’s Srebrenica anniversary proves that genocide denial, glorification, and relativization are only worsening. Politicians across the Balkans and their international supporters who contribute to this environment are creating conditions for a repeat of mass violence and atrocity in the region.
Genocide Watch recommends:
● Politicians in Republika Srpska must unconditionally recognize the Srebrenica genocide.
● The US administration should publicly support unbiased genocide recovery in Bosnia and condemn actors that cater specifically to Serbian self-victimization and genocide relativization. US political leaders should pressure Trump to restore sanctions on Dodik.
● The people of Bosnia and Herzegovina should be allowed to peacefully honor the victims of genocide with marches and displays, and survivors should be assisted by relevant support groups.
● The UN and EU should employ their institutional leverage to push against genocide denial when working with Bosnia and Herzegovina as it looks towards further global integration.
