Srebrenica marks massacre anniversary

SREBRENICA, Bosnia-Herzegovina, July 11 (UPI) -- Thousands of people were in Srebrenica, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Wednesday to mark the 17th anniversary of the massacre of 8,000 Muslim males by Bosnian Serb forces.

As part of the remembrance, officials said the remains of 520 victims would be buried at the Potocari Memorial Center, B92 reported.

"Just like the previous years, several members of one family will be buried today [Wednesday]," said Visoko Town Cemetery Deputy Director Kenan Karavdic.

A commemoration for all the victims of the Bosnia-Herzegovina conflict was conducted Srebrenica Tuesday.

In 1995, more than 8,000 Muslims, mostly male, were systematically killed in Srebrenica, which was a U.N. protected zone.

Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic, the masterminds of the slaughter, are on trial before a tribunal at The Hague, Netherlands.

"A measure of justice is finally being served for the victims in courts in The Hague and Bosnia-Herzegovina, as the perpetrators of this atrocity, including Ratko Mladic and Radovan Karadzic, are now being called to account for their actions," U.S. President Obama said in statement issued from Washington.

He also dismissed attempts by some "to distort the scope of this atrocity, rationalize the motivations behind it, blame the victims, and deny the indisputable fact that it was genocide," saying achieving reconciliation and peaceful coexistence in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Balkans is the "ultimate repudiation of the evil."

"As more innocent victims of this tragedy are laid to rest on July 11, the United States stands with the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina and grieves again for the loss of so many loved ones," Obama said.