Bosnia begins 17th collective reexhumation of Srebrenica victims

The Institute for Missing Persons of Bosnia and Herzegovina started the 17th collective reexhumation of victims of the July 1995 Srebrenica genocide at the Memorial Centre in Potočari, acting on a court order from the Bosnian Prosecutor's Office. Over the next four days, until 17 July, 48 graves will be opened so that skeletal remains identified after the original burials can be re‑associated with the victims. Family members are expected to attend the technical‑cultural process.

To date, the previous 16 collective reexhumations have reopened graves for more than 1,220 victims. Seventy victims have needed to be re‑exhumed twice, and two graves have been opened three times, reflecting the dispersed nature of the remains after perpetrators used heavy machinery to move bodies between primary, secondary and tertiary burial sites. The institute continues to search for approximately 900 missing victims and for other persons whose remains have yet to be found, emphasizing that the reexhumations provide material proof of attempts to conceal the crimes.