Balkans mark European Day of Remembrance amid protests over genocide denial

On 22 August 2026, the Peace Cemetery (Groblje mira) in Bosnia and Herzegovina hosted the European Day of Remembrance for victims of totalitarian regimes. The ceremony, under the patronage of the Bosnian Parliament, featured a Mass led by Mons. Dražen Kutleša and performances by the mixed choir “Marija”, the Pro Musica academic choir and the St. Cecilia parish choir, accompanied by organists. Organizers also highlighted the ongoing second phase of raising memorial crosses at the site.

In a related development, a protest organised by the European Union took place in Podgorica’s Stari aerodrom neighbourhood. Sead Šahman, president of the Bosniak Democratic Movement, criticised the recent parliamentary vote that brought a known Srebrenica genocide denier into Montenegro’s government while a book promotion on the genocide was being organised. He called the behaviour “deeply hypocritical” and urged citizens to reject any support for genocide denial.

Both events reflect continuing tensions in the Balkans over the remembrance of the Srebrenica genocide and the political handling of its denial.