Bosnia-Herzegovina Commemorates Victims of Srebrenica Massacre

Bosnia and Herzegovina marks on Saturday the twentieth anniversary of the Srebrenica massacre.

More than 8000 Bosnian Mulsim men and boys were killed by Bosnian Serb forces in the worst war crime in Europe since the end of the Second World War.

In July 1995, thousands of Bosnian Muslims fled to Srebrenica seeking shelter in the town, which had been designated United Nations (UN) safe area.

However the UN peacekeepers failed to prevent the capture of the town by the Bosnian Serb forces, which then went on to massacre the Bosnian Muslims.

Fourteen individuals have been convicted at the UN International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in relation to the mass killings.

The former chief of the Bosnian Serb army Ratko Mladic and former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic are both on trial in separate processes.

Almost 10 000 people took part in an annual peace march on Friday, which retraced the route of the men and boys, who had attempted to flee Srebrenica as Bosnian Serb forces took control of the town.

A funeral service for more than a hundred victims, whose remains were recently identified using DNA analysis, will be held, the BBC reports.

The memorial service will be attended by the US President at the time Bill Clinton, Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini.

Serbian authorities banned commemorations in the capital Belgrade after right-wing groups have threatened to stage counter-demonstrations.

More than 50 000 people are expected to attend the ceremony and Bulgaria will be represented by its Foreign Minister Daniel Mitov.

On the eve of the anniversary,...