[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 110 (Thursday, June 26, 2025)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E626-E627]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     COMMEMORATING THE 30TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE SREBRENICA GENOCIDE

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. ANN WAGNER

                              of missouri

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 26, 2025

  Mrs. WAGNER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the 30th 
anniversary of the Srebrenica Genocide.
  I thank the Congress of Bosniaks for bringing together dignitaries, 
faith leaders, human rights advocates, policymakers, scholars, and 
community leaders from around the country to mourn loved ones lost, and 
commit ourselves anew to a future of peace, mutual tolerance, and 
truth.
  I want to give a special welcome to the delegation from my home state 
of Missouri.
  I represent the largest Bosnian community outside of Bosnia and 
Herzegovina. Over the years, I've had the honor to get to know and

[[Page E627]]

share meals with Bosnian families in my district, so many of whom came 
to Saint Louis in the wake of the tragic wars of the nineties.
  This community has shaped what the city looks and feels like; it has 
added great cultural diversity to the city, immense intellectual 
capital, thriving small businesses, and a strong religious presence.
  Three decades ago, members of our Bosnian community were refugees. In 
1995, Orthodox Serbs under the command of General Ratko Mladic 
initiated a horrific ethnic cleansing campaign against majority-Muslim 
Bosniaks.
  The escalating bloodshed forced 130,000 Bosnian refugees to seek new 
lives in the United States. Thousands more were murdered in Srebrenica.
  We remember those unthinkable events as the Srebrenica Genocide.
  On the 30th Commemoration of the genocide, I wish to honor the memory 
of innocent lives lost and celebrate the courage and indomitable spirit 
of the survivors--especially my Bosnian neighbors, whose wit, warmth, 
and generosity inspires me to seek change.
  With conflict and turmoil roiling every corner of the world, 
including the Western Balkans, it is so important to look back at the 
experiences of the Bosnian people during the wars and genocide of the 
1990's.
  When we say ``never again,'' we must mean it.
  That is why I am leading bipartisan legislation, the Upholding the 
Dayton Peace Agreement Through Sanctions Act, that would codify and 
mandate key sanctions authorities to send an unmistakable message to 
any actor that threatens the peace, security, stability, or territorial 
integrity of Bosnia.
  Sanctions work.
  The State Department told me that Republika Srpska officials begged 
the U.S., ``Please, no more sanctions.'' However, much more leverage 
needs to be brought to bear against Dodik and his inner circle, their 
Russian backers, and the corrupt politicians who recklessly use ethnic 
tension to grow their power and wealth.
  This bill has overwhelmingly passed the House multiple times, and I 
am pleased to announce that I reintroduced it earlier this week, 
alongside my fellow co-chairs of the Bosnia Caucus, Representatives 
Turner, Auchincloss, and Bell. With Dodik's separatists emboldened to a 
shocking degree and the institutions of Dayton under overt attack, it 
could not be clearer: the time to enact this legislation is now.
  I thank those who traveled for this Commemoration and their 
commitment to justice and truth. They have many friends in Congress who 
will always fight for a peaceful, prosperous Bosnia and Herzegovina.

                          ____________________