Islamic Human Rights Commission
PRESS RELEASE
For immediate Release
12.7.97
MUSLIMS WILL NEVER FORGET GENOCIDE
Vigil for Srebrenica outside 10 Downing Street, London, SW1, 12.7.97,
2.30 -5.30 p.m.
Islamic Human Rights Commission is organising a vigil outside No.10 Downing Street, to commemorate the second anniversary of the massacre of 10,000 men from the UN ‘safe-haven’ of Srebrenica in Bosnia.
Srebrenica was surrendered to Serb forces, by Dutch soldiers bound to defend it on 12 July 1995. What ensued was the worst incident of genocide since the second world war. Thousands of men were transported to various locations, including factories and fields, and executed by Serbs under the command of Ratko Mladic.
Mladic has been indicted by the International Tribunal in the Hague, however liability does not end with him. IHRC is calling on the international community to investigate the role played by Yasushi Akashi, the UN Secretary General’s Special Envoy in Bosnia and the commander of UN forces in the former Yugoslavia, General Bernard Janvier. Both were instrumental in refusing air strikes to prevent the build up of Serb forces around the town, and to pass on information on the imminent attack on the ‘safe-haven’ to prevent its fall.
Also under scrutiny is the Dutch commander in Srebrenica photographed drinking champagne with Mladic when the town fell. Chairman of IHRC Massoud Shadjareh, said:
“The blood of 10,000 Muslims is on the hands of all those who knew about the Serbs plans for Srebrenica and did nothing. We are protesting outside the Prime Minister’s residence, because we feel the genocide has been forgotten by the international community. New Labour has made many promises regarding human rights. We call on Tony Blair as an international leader to take action for each and every Bosnian murdered, tortured and raped just because they were Muslim.”
IHRC will be handing in a letter to the Prime Minister at 10 Downing Street at 5 p.m.
For more information, please call the Press Office on: 0181 931 1919
0958 60 74 75or 0958 522 196
