Potočari Memorial Cemetery

Potočari Memorial Cemetery (Bosnian: Memorijalni centar Potočari) is a memorial cemetery located in the village of Potočari, east of Bosnia and Herzegovina, where victims of the Srebrenica genocide are commemorated and buried. It was built in memory of more than 8,000 Bosniak civilians killed during Srebrenica genocide, widely recognized as the largest human tragedy in Europe since World War II.

On 11 July 1995, Srebrenica was captured by Serbian forces under the command of Ratko Mladić. Bosniak civilians who had sought refuge in the area, which was under the protection of Dutch soldiers serving under the United Nations, were soon handed over to Serbian forces.

While Serbian forces allowed women and children to move into areas controlled by Bosniak troops, at least 8,372 Bosniak men were systematically killed in forested areas, warehouses, and various facilities. The victims’ bodies were buried in mass graves.

The memorial cemetery was established on the site of the former United Nations (UN) military camp, where thousands of Bosniaks had fled during the genocide to escape Serbian forces. After the war, the bodies of the victims were discovered through excavations of mass graves. Identification has been carried out using scientific methods such as DNA analysis. Once identified, the victims are buried in the memorial cemetery following approval from their families. However, despite thirty years having passed, remains of more than 1,000 victims have still not been recovered.

To date, a total of 6,504 genocide victims have been buried at the memorial cemetery. Despite the passage of years since the genocide, remains of more than 1,000 victims have still not been found. Every year, on 11 July, collective funeral ceremonies are held for victims whose identities have been confirmed.

• 2015: During the 20th anniversary commemoration, 136 additional victims were buried in Potočari.
• 2016: During the 21st anniversary commemoration, 127 additional victims were buried in Potočari.
• 2017: During the 22nd anniversary commemoration, 70 victims were laid to rest. The youngest among them was Damir Suljić, who was 15 years old when killed, and the oldest was Allja Salihović, aged 72.
• 2019: During the 24th anniversary commemoration, the funerals of 33 victims were held in Potočari.
• 2021: During the 26th anniversary commemoration, the funerals of 19 victims were held in Potočari.
• 2024: During the 29th anniversary commemoration, 14 identified genocide victims were laid to rest.
• 2025: During the 30th anniversary commemoration, 7 identified genocide victims were laid to rest at the Potočari Memorial Cemetery. The names of those buried are: Senajid Avdic, Hariz Mujic, Fata Bektic, Hasib Omerovic, Sejdalija Alic, Rifet Gabeljic, and Amir Mujcic.

Following the 2025 ceremony, the total number of victims buried at the memorial cemetery rose to 6,772.

^{Potočari Memorial Cemetery (}Anadolu Agency⁾

Every year on 11 July, the anniversary of the genocide, thousands of victims’ relatives and a large crowd visit the memorial cemetery. After the collective funeral ceremony, as the families and crowds disperse, silence returns to the site.