Main opposition leader Ozel calls for end to Gaza massacre during Srebrenica commemoration

Ozgur Ozel, the leader of the Republican People’s Party (CHP), traveled to Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina, to mark the 29th anniversary of the Srebrenica Massacre. He was accompanied by Secretary General Selin Sayek Boke, Deputy Chairman Ilhan Uzgel, Tekirdag MP Ilhami Ozcan Aygun and Party Assembly Member Melisa Ugras.

In Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ozel visited the grave of Alija Izetbegovic and stated, “There is a massacre in Palestine. Say ‘stop’ to the massacre in Palestine. Say ‘stop’ so that we do not experience such shame together.”

Ozel’s first visit to Sarajevo was to Turkish Ambassador Sadik Babur Girgin. Later, Ozel visited the Turkish Representative Office in Bosnia and Herzegovina, meeting with Turkish soldiers stationed there. “You have undertaken very important duties here. You are fulfilling a significant representation on behalf of all of us,” he said.

What is Srebrenica massacre?

The Srebrenica Massacre or Srebrenica Genocide is the name given to the killing of at least 8,372 Bosnians by the heavily armed Bosnian Serb army under the command of Gen. Ratko Mladic in Srebrenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina, in July 1995 during Operation Krivaya ’95 by the Army of Republika Srpska against Srebrenica in the 1991-1995 Yugoslav Civil War (Croatian War and Bosnian War).

It is documented that many women and young children were also killed in the massacre. Apart from the Army of Republika Srpska, Serbian special security forces known as “Scorpions” also participated in the massacre. Although the United Nations declared Srebrenica a safe zone, the presence of 400 armed Dutch peacekeepers could not prevent the massacre.

The Srebrenica massacre is also significant in that it is the largest mass killing of human beings in Europe since World War II and the first legally documented genocide in Europe.