Chuck Grassley: “July 11 is recognized by the United Nations General Assembly as the International Day of Reflection and Commemoration of…”

“July 11 is recognized by the United Nations General Assembly as the International Day of Reflection and Commemoration of the 1995 Genocide in Srebrenica. This town in Bosnia and Herzegovina was the scene of the worst genocide on European soil since the Holocaust. Bosnian Serb separatists murdered 8,000 of their fellow Bosnians at that time--these fellow Bosnians had been their coworkers, their neighbors, even friends-- because of their Muslim heritage, practicing that faith or not practicing. Many Bosnian families who survived the genocide but who lost their family members became refugees and found a home in my State of Iowa. Bosnian Iowans have enriched Iowan communities with their strong work ethic, family values, and unique culture. Today, there are renewed calls for ethnic separatism in Bosnia. That dredges up painful memories for those who lived through the genocide of the 1990s. As we commemorate the loss, which so many Bosnian families experienced, we ought to be alert to the renewed efforts to finalize the ethnic cleansing project that began in the 1990s. The Dayton Accords are rightly celebrated for ending that killing of 8,000, but they essentially froze the frontlines and enshrined ethnic divisions by creating two entities within Bosnia and Herzegovina.”