SURVIVANCE

Photographic documentary by

Denis PAILLARD

Srebrenica – 2007 / 2011

Photo 01 - Mémorial de Srebrenica, Potocari. RS (Republika Srpska*) Genocide’s commemoration of July, 11st, 1995, and burial of the identified bodies. Bill Clinton has inaugurated the memorial and cemetery of Potocari on September 20th, 2003. It is located in front of the old base of the Dutch peacekeepers supposed to protect the Srebrenica’s enclave decreed “protected area” by the Security Council of the UN in 1993 and where thousands of Bosnians took refuge. On July 7th, the Serbian forces led by General Ratko Maldic launched the assault of the city that would lead to the largest genocide in Europe since the World War II. The “Srebrenica’s genocide” was recognized by the International Court of The Hague. Since 2003, between 400 and 500 remains are buried every year. Of the 8354 missing of Srebrenica, more than 5100 were identified and buried. Without minimal elements, the identification can not be and many remains to this day, waiting for uncertain burial, making the mourning impossible for more than 3000 families. * The Republika Srpska is one of two constitutional and legal entities of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the other being the Federation of

Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Photo 02 - Gorazde, Drina’s valley. The Drina, natural border between Serbia and Bosnia was named the « Red River » because it carried corpses. It was said it was the largest mass grave in Bosnia.

Photo 03 - Srebrenica, City of dead souls.

Photo 04 - Kada Otic, Srebrenica.

Her son and two of her uncles escaped the enclave’s liquidation of Srebrenica on July 1995, by fleeing

through the woods, but Serb took her brother and her husband. She has never seen them again. Part of

her husband’s body was found. She will accept burial when the head will be found.

Photo 05 - Gorazde’s Roses. During the siege of Sarajevo, the besieged were called « Sarajevo roses » starred impact of the mortars fire on the facades. These roses are springing up everywhere like in Gorazde.

Photo 06 – Munira Subasic, Founding président of the Association of the Enclaves’ Mothers of Srebrenica-Zepa for the recognition of the right truth and justice. She lived the siege of Srebrenica and lost 20 members of her family. She regulary testified at The Hague. On May 16 th,2012,the »Express » magazine published an article on the net about Radko Mladic « capturing the look of a close victim, Munira Subasic here in the room, Ratio Mladic made an explicit hand gesture, as if he would cut her throat ». « I thought that by coming here, I would at least have seen the remorse in his eyes, instead of that, I saw his bloodlust ». Munira Subasic said ».

Photo 07 - Zumreta Belslagic, Sarajevo. One month before the events, following her divorce, Zumreta finds herself alone with war. She actively participates in mutual aid between the traders of Sarajevo and the population. Elected Woman of the Year in 1994, she is proud of what she achieved but she remains bitter of the theft of her best years.

Photo 08 – Sehida Abdurahmanovic, Potocari. She is a very active member of the Enclaves’ Mothers of Srebrenica-Zepa. Her neighbours are Serbs and her children are afraid for her. “If Serbs wonder how Muslims have found the strength to come-back, some of them wonder what they will do again to make them leave again”.

Photo 09 – Bida Smajlovic, Potocari. She took refuge with her family in the factory where the Dutch peacekeepers sat, at the time of the enclave’s liquidation of Srebrenica in July 1995. Her husband was taken, she never saw him again. She cried a lot to not have a son. Later, she blessed the sky to not have had one”.

Photo 10 – Rape camp, Trnoplje. Around the rape camp where Bosnian women were interned, Serbs erected a stele in memory of their dead people ! In Bosnia as in Rawanda, rape as a weapon of war and of genocide was methodically organized. From 20 to 40 000 Bosnian women have systematically been raped in the camps of Trnoplje, Foca, Visegrad or Omarska. It was to kill the identity of a population by addressing its women by forced pregnancy. In the documentary movie “Rape, a war’s weapon” by Sabina Subasic, survivors of this camps testify…

Photo 11 – ICMP (International Commission of Missing Persons), Tuzla. Preserved bones for recognition before being return to families.

Photo 12 – Srebrenica’s memorial, Potocari, RS. Genocide’s commemoration of July, 11st, 1995, and burial of the identified bodies. Bill Clinton has inaugurated the memorial and cemetery of Potocari on September 20th, 2003. It is located in front of the old base of the Dutch peacekeepers supposed to protect the Srebrenica’s enclave decreed “protected area” by the Security Council of the UN in 1993 and where thousands of Bosnians took refuge.

Photo 13 – Srebrenica’s memorial, Potocari, RS.

Photo 14 – Srebrenica’s memorial, Potocari, RS. Genocide’s commemoration of July, 11st, 1995, and burial of the identified bodies.

Photo 15 – Srebrenica’s memorial, Potocari, RS.

Photo 16 – Srebrenica’s memorial, Potocari, RS. Genocide’s commemoration of July, 11st, 1995, and burial of the identified bodies. Bill Clinton has inaugurated the memorial and cemetery of Potocari on September 20th, 2003. It is located in front of the old base of the Dutch peacekeepers supposed to protect the Srebrenica’s enclave decreed “protected area” by the Security Council of the UN in 1993 and where thousands of Bosnians took refuge.

Photo 17 – Start in haste of the families while the fires announcing the feast of St Peter, Patron Saint of the Orthodox, dedicated, after the war, to Serbian victims of Bratunac and established against the genocide’s commemoration of Srebrenica, light in the surrounding countryside.

Photo 18 – Kozarac.

Photo 19 – Jasna Bukvic, Sarajevo. Refugee during the war in Belgium, she lives and works today in Sarajevo but she wonders about the furture of her country because of its Constitution and the corruption of some of elites.

Photo 20 – Zdravko Krsmanovic, Serbian Mayor of Foca (city renamed Srbnje after the war) until 2012. His condemnation of Serbian crimes since his election in 2003 opened a breach in the nationalist leaden. “The only way to change, it’s to free people from fear, from hatred and to give them back the hope to live normally in a civilized Europe.”