Congress of North American Bosniaks (CNAB) strongly condemns the shameful decision of the Canadian prime minister to veto a House of Commons motion M-416, agreed to by the Foreign Affairs Minister’s office and all opposition parties, which recognizes the Srebrenica genocide with a Remembrance Day. It is incomprehensible that the prime minister continues to ignore the voices of reason and insists on questioning the facts surrounding the Srebrenica Genocide which have been established on many occasions by the International Courts of Justice, the International Criminal Tribunal for Former Yugoslavia. In addition, the U.S. and the EU have both passed the Srebrenica Genocide resolutions and condemned the ethnic cleansing and genocide that took place in BiH during the 1990’s. Many cities in the United States and state governments in the US have started issuing resolutions and proclamation recognizing the importance of this day.
We call upon all the MPs of Canada to continue to push for justice for the victims. Preserving the facts and remembrance of the Srebrenica Genocide is the least that we can collectively do to ensure such attrocities do not occur again anywhere in the world. Canadian government has a historic opportunity to recognize genocide for what it is. Most Bosniak-Canadians are carrying physical and emotional scars from this genocide, and having a Srebrenica Remembrance day will help ease those scars and honor the victims.
Mr. Harper’s lack of acknowledgment of the importance of this motion sets a dangerous precedent of silent approval for those who seek to oppress and commit attrocities in the future. If Canada does not recognize the Srebrenica genocide as defined by the United Nations Charter it will continue to raise questions regarding Canada’s commitment and sincerity to promoting human rights and peace in the world. It will also send a clear signal to Canadian Bosniaks that despite their best efforts as citizens, the country they now call home is unwilling to support their loved ones who lost their lives in the worst atrocity in Europe since the Holocaust.
On behalf of CNAB Board of Directors
Hamdija Custovic,
CNAB Spokespeson