Srebrenica: Service outside Portsmouth Civic Offices will commemorate anniversary of 1995 Bosnian genocide

On Friday (July 8), those who died during the 1995 genocide in Srebrenica, Bosnia-Herzegovina, will be honoured during a commemorative service outside Portsmouth’s Civic Offices.

During the service, the Bosnia-Herzegovina and Remembering Srebrenica flags will be raised at Guildhall Square.

The event will pay respects to the Srebrenica genocide, which saw more than 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys killed, and thousands of women, children and the elderly forcibly deported.

It has been described by the United Nations as the worst atrocity on European soil since the Second World War.

Each year, Srebrenica Memorial Day commemorates the victims, honour the survivors and aims to help to build a better, safer and more tolerant society.

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Dr Waqar Azmi OBE, chairman of Remembering Srebrenica, said: ‘We hope that Remembering Srebrenica's theme for 2022 'Combatting Denial: Challenging Hatred' will not only seek to bring people together to learn the lessons of the past in order to create stronger, more inclusive communities but also inspire future generations to take action to combat denial and challenge hatred and intolerance.’

Councillor Gerald Vernon-Jackson, leader of Portsmouth City Council, added: ‘By raising the Bosnia-Herzegovinian and Remembering Srebrenica flags in Portsmouth, we remembered those who died and survived the events of July 1995.

‘The atrocities in Srebrenica are a stark reminder of why we must all work together to build tolerant and welcoming communities, where people of different backgrounds, beliefs and nationalities can live peacefully as neighbours.’

The Service takes place from 11am at Guildhall Square.