The newly elected president of Serbia, Tomislav Nikolic, has sparked controversy after claiming that "there was no genocide in Srebrenica."
Speaking on Montenegrin television, Nikolic said,
"There was no genocide in Srebrenica. In Srebrenica, grave war crimes were committed by some Serbs who should be found, prosecuted and punished."
"It is very difficult to indict someone and prove before a court that an event qualifies as genocide."
His remarks come as the trial of Ratko Mladic gets underway.
The spokesperson for the European Union's foreign policy official, Catherine Ashton, said in a statement:
"[We] would like to remind everyone that Srebrenica has been confirmed as genocide by both the ICTY and the ICJ. Srebrenica was the largest massacre in Europe since world war two, a crime against all of humankind. We should never forget and it should never be allowed to happen again."
Nikolic worked as Serbia's deputy prime minister in coalition with Slobodan Milosevic during 1998-1999 when Serbian forces invaded Kosovo.
We need your support
Sri Lanka is one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a journalist. Tamil journalists are particularly at threat, with at least 41 media workers known to have been killed by the Sri Lankan state or its paramilitaries during and after the armed conflict.
Despite the risks, our team on the ground remain committed to providing detailed and accurate reporting of developments in the Tamil homeland, across the island and around the world, as well as providing expert analysis and insight from the Tamil point of view
We need your support in keeping our journalism going. Support our work today.
For more ways to donate visit https://donate.tamilguardian.com.
