Tony Zappia (Makin, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As I have done for many, many years now, on 11 July this year I attended the South Australian Bosnia and Herzegovina society's service, commemorating the victims of what is now known as the Srebrenica genocide of 11 July 1995—some 27 years ago. At that time, 8,372 people, including men, women and children of all ages, were brutally killed by the Bosnian-Serbian army. That occurred whilst the United Nations security forces failed to intervene and to protect them. The killings have become what is known as the worst single largest massacre to take place on European soil since World War II. Each year more victims are identified and buried at the Srebrenica Potacari Memorial Centre and Cemetery. This year a further 50 victims were identified and properly placed to rest. Clearly that gave some comfort to their family members, who at least were able to identify and find their loved ones, to whom they didn't know what happened some 27 years ago.

On the night, the president of the South Australian Bosnia and Herzegovina society, Sam Hasic, gave a very passionate speech about the continued threats and suffering of the Bosnian people in his homeland and called for additional measures to ensure that those people can get on with their lives in as safe a way as possible, firstly, without having any further threats and, secondly, with those who were responsible for the massacres at the time being brought to justice. We also heard both this year and in previous years services survivor eyewitness accounts of some of the atrocities that took place. These were people who were there at the time, saw the killings and, fortunately, were able to survive themselves, but in the process saw family members and friends very brutally killed.

That was 27 years ago. For the rest of the world, I guess time moves on and the events of 27 years ago tend to fade into the distant past. However, for the people of Bosnia, and particularly those who were either there or who had family members there at the time and who lost them, the memories will never fade. For them, the events of what happened on 11 July 1995 will be with them forever. I hope, and they hope, that such an event never occurs again.

Sharon Claydon (Newcastle, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In accordance with standing order 193, the time for members' constituency statements has concluded.