[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 110 (Wednesday, July 11, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1490]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                 REMEMBERING THE MASSACRE AT SREBRENICA

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                           HON. JOHN W. OLVER

                            of massachusetts

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, July 11, 2007

  Mr OLVER. Madam Speaker, I rise today in remembrance of one of the 
greatest tragedies of our lifetime. Today marks the 12th anniversary of 
the massacre in Srebrenica during the Bosnian war. On July 11, 1995 
more than 7,000 Bosnian Muslims were systematically murdered by Serbian 
military and paramilitary forces in the largest massacre of civilians 
in Europe since World War II.
  Beginning in April 1992, aggression and ethnic cleansing perpetrated 
by Bosnian Serb forces, while taking control of the surrounding 
territory, resulted in a massive influx of Bosnians seeking protection 
in Srebrenica and its environs, which the United Nations Security 
Council designated a ``safe area'' in Resolution 819 on April 16, 1993. 
Despite the visage of international protection, thousands of Muslim men 
and boys were slaughtered before the eyes of the world as part of a 
deliberate campaign of ethnic terror and genocide.
  As we look back and remember the massacre in Srebrenica, it is not 
enough simply to mark its anniversary on the calendar. While we mourn 
the victims of these shocking events, we must also look to the present 
and to the future. When confronted with the horrors of the Holocaust 
the world proclaimed, ``Never Again.'' Since that time we have 
witnessed the genocide in Rwanda, Cambodia, and, as we are reminded on 
this date, Bosnia. Today we are faced with an ongoing genocide in 
Darfur. Once again, thousands of innocent people are being attacked, 
raped, and murdered. And once again, it is not enough to stand by and 
express regret as these events unfold before our eyes. On this somber 
anniversary, let us affirm our commitment, not merely with words but 
with deeds, to the pledge ``Never Again.''

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