Remembering Srebrenica

July 2015 marks the 20th anniversary of the Srebrenica Massacre, when more than 8000 Bosniaks, mainly men and boys, from the town of Srebrenica in Eastern Bosnia and around, were killed by units of the Army of Republika Srpska (VRS) under the command of General Ratko Mladić. The Secretary-General of the United Nations described the mass murder as the worst crime on European soil since the Second World War.

To mark this anniversary, the University of Edinburgh, in an event organised by the Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities and the Global Justice Academy, has brought together a distinguished panel of academics and practitioners to consider some of the lessons to be learned from these events during the Bosnian wars. 

The panel discussion will take place in Martin Hall, New College, from 17.30 to 18.45; and will be followed by a reception in Rainy Hall from 18.45 to 19.30.

Moderator: Dr Alison Elliott, Associate Director of the Centre for Theology and Public Issues at the University of Edinburgh

Alison is a psychologist, and the Associate Director of the Centre for Theology and Public Issues at the University of Edinburgh. She was the first woman ever to be elected Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland.

Panellists:

Professor Manfred Nowak, University of Vienna

A distinguished international and human rights lawyer, Manfred was one of the judges of the Human Rights Chamber for Bosnia and Herzegovina between March 1996 and December 2003. He was a key member of the Working Group on Enforced and Involuntary Disappearances, which made critical recommendations on Bosnia and Croatia that – to a great extent – provided the basis for the revolutionary approach taken by the International Commission on Missing Persons. More recently, he was United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture.

Adam Boys, Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA)

Adam has worked in the senior management and leadership of international public sector and other non-profit organisations since 1994 when he was sent to Bosnia by the British charity “Feed the Children”. In 1995, he was seconded by the UK’s FCO to the International Conference on the Former Yugoslavia (ICFY). From 1996 to 2000 he worked for the Office of the High Representative in Sarajevo as Chief Administration Officer and later as Director of Finance. From 2000-2014 Adam worked for the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP). He lived in Sarajevo for more than 14 years. He was awarded an OBE in the 2015 New Year’s Honours list “for services to conflict prevention and resolution, particularly in the Western Balkans”. He joined the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA), in Stockholm, on 1 February 2015 as Director of Corporate Services. 

Christine Bell, University of Edinburgh

Christine is Professor of Constitutional Law at the University of Edinburgh and Director of the Global Justice Academy.  Her research interests lie in the interface between constitutional and international law, gender and conflict, and legal theory, with a particular interest in peace processes and their agreements. Christine has recently been awarded a large multi-million pound award from DFID to study peace settlements.