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Srebrenica survivor urges remembrance and warns against growing denial
Summary
Almasa Salkhovic, who said she survived the July 1995 Srebrenica genocide at age eight, recounted family losses and cited 8,372 victims; she urged younger generations to visit the Srebrenica memorial and pushed back against narratives that deny the killings.
Almasa Salkhovic, a survivor of the July 1995 Srebrenica genocide, told a public forum she was 8 years old when the massacre occurred and that members of her family were killed.
Salkhovic said her brother and other relatives were among those killed. She cited a total of "8,372" victims in July 1995 and said remembering the victims is essential to healing. "I firmly believe that when you remember, it helps you heal," she said.
She said what frightens her most is denial of the events and that "generations younger than mine are growing today with that false narrative that genocide did not occur, that war crime did not occur, that people who were killed here were just soldiers." Her remarks framed personal memory and family testimony as a counter to revisionist narratives.
Salkhovic urged younger people "especially to the Srebrenica memorial" (transcript rendered the phrase as "Shreverence Memorial") to learn, listen and ask questions so future generations will understand the history. "This is what we're working with," she said, emphasizing personal and family stories as evidence that the killings occurred.
No formal action or vote is recorded in the transcript. The testimony consisted of first-person accounts and appeals to remembrance and education as a response to denial.
Salkhovic concluded by saying she hopes future generations will find the strength to come to the memorial, learn from the history and help prevent similar violence.
