[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 13]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 17479]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




     COMMEMORATING THE 14TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE SREBRENICA MASSACRE

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, July 10, 2009

  Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Madam Speaker, I rise today to 
remember the events that took place 14 years ago in Srebrenica in 
Bosnia and Herzegovina.
  July 11, 2009 marks the 14th anniversary of the Srebrenica Massacre 
in the eastern region of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The acts of violence 
that took place resulted in the deaths of several thousand Bosniaks and 
the displacement of even more Bosniak families from their homes. It is 
particularly startling to know that roughly five hundred of the victims 
were under the age of 18 years old, and several dozen were women and 
children. This tragic event is regarded as one of the worst cases of 
ethnic cleansing in the past fifty years, and today, I continue to 
offer my deepest condolences to the victims of these crimes and to 
those victims' families.
  I remain hopeful, however, that Bosniaks and the various ethnic 
communities within Bosnia and Herzegovina are on a path to recovery and 
reconciliation. Over the past fourteen years, Bosniaks have dedicated 
themselves to rehabilitation, slowly readapting and assimilating into 
their new lives. Great strides have been made to ensure that a lasting 
peace endures in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and I believe that through 
continued work and determination, this will be achieved.
  I ask my fellow colleagues to join me today to remember the victims 
of this terrible massacre and to resolve anew to work towards a stable 
and permanent peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

                          ____________________