Dr. Emir Ramic, direktor Instituta za istrazivanje genocida Kanada za centralnu kanadsku komemoraciju u Windsoru povodom 31. godisnjice od genocida u Srebrenici

 

Svakoga jedanaestog jula ne okupljaju nas samo bijeli nišani Poto?ara. Okuplja nas zavjet koji su nam ostavili oni koji više ne mogu govoriti, pa je zato na nama da govorimo u ime istine. Ne glasom mržnje, nego glasom savjesti; ne glasom osvete, nego glasom pravde.

Srebrenica nas je nau?ila da genocid ne po?inje puškom. On po?inje rije?ju. Po?inje lažima koje ?ovjeku oduzima ime, dostojanstvo i pravo na život. Zato je prva žrtva svakog genocida istina, a posljednja njegovo sje?anje.

Nemojmo vjerovati da istina pobje?uje sâma od sebe. Ne pobje?uje. Da je tako, ?ovje?anstvo ne bi toliko puta zakasnilo pred zlom. Istina opstaje samo onda kada postoje ljudi koji su spremni da je svjedo?e, da je brane i da zbog nje podnesu cijenu. 

Nije dovoljno znati istinu. Dužnost je živjeti je i braniti.

Ne ?udimo se što istinu ne vole oni kojima je laž postala profesija, patriotizam ili navodni državni interes. Oni dobro znaju da nijedna laž nije toliko snažna koliko je opasna jedna jedina dokazana istina. Zato poricanje genocida nije samo uvreda mrtvima; ono je prijetnja živima. Ono pokušava ubiti sje?anje, jer zlo?in nije potpuno uspio dok god živi istina o njegovim žrtvama.

Kanadski odgovor nije mržnja. Mržnja nas ?ini sli?nim onima koji su je posijali. Naš odgovor mora biti dostojanstvo, znanje, moralna postojanost i nepokolebljiva vjera u pravdu. Žrtva ne smije zaboraviti, ali ne smije ni dopustiti da ga prošlost zarobi. Sje?anje nije lanac koji nas veže za ju?er. Sje?anje je svjetiljka koja nam osvjetljava put prema sutra.

Mi u Kanadi u?imo svoju djecu istini o Srebrenici. Ne da bi u?ila mrziti, nego da bi nau?ila razlikovati istinu od laži, pravdu od nepravde i ?ovje?nost od zlo?ina. Narod koji odgoji djecu da ?uvaju istinu osigurao je sebi budu?nost. Narod koji prepusti istinu zaboravu prepušta svoju sudbinu tu?im pri?ama.

 

Spomenik u Windsoru nije samo mjesto naše tuge. Windsor je škola ljudske savjesti. Ovaj prvi spomenik žrtvama genocida u Srebrenici u dijaspori pita svakoga od nas: šta si danas u?inio da istina ostane živa? To je pitanje koje vrijedi više od svake komemoracije i svakog govora.

Mi u Kanadi ?uvamo  Bosnu ?uvaju?i istinu o Bosni. ?uvamo svoj narod ?uvaju?i njegovo dostojanstvo. ?uvamo svoju vjeru svjedo?e?i pravdu prema svakom ?ovjeku. I nikada ne zaboravite: istina nije amanet samo prema našim šehidima; ona je amanet prema cijelom ?ovje?anstvu.

I poruka iz Windsora

Neka zato jedanaesti juli ove 2026. god. ne bude samo dan žalosti. Neka bude dan obnove našeg zavjeta da ?emo istinu braniti bez umora, pravdu tražiti bez mržnje, mir graditi bez straha i Bosnu voljeti bez ra?una.

Jer narod koji izgubi istinu izgubit ?e i sebe. A narod koji sa?uva istinu, ma koliko bio ranjen, sa?uvat ?e i svoju dušu, svoje dostojanstvo i svoju budu?nost.

Zbog toga ?vrsto vjerujem, s ovog svetog mjesta u dalekoj Kanadi da vrijeme istine, pravde i kulture sje?anja kontinuirano sve ja?e dolazi. To je nije samo pobjeda nad namjerom genocida, ve? i trijumf pravde nad nepravdom. Windsor je danas jedan od komemorativnih centara  i trajna opomena da život, vjera i istina uvijek nadžive svako zlo.

 

Every July 11, we are brought together by more than the white gravestones of Poto?ari. We are united by the solemn trust left to us by those who can no longer speak. It is therefore our responsibility to speak on behalf of the truth—not with the voice of hatred, but with the voice of conscience; not with the voice of revenge, but with the voice of justice.

Srebrenica taught us that genocide does not begin with a gun. It begins with words. It begins with lies that strip a human being of their name, dignity, and right to life. That is why the first victim of every genocide is the truth, and the last is its memory.

Let us never believe that truth prevails on its own. It does not. If it did, humanity would not have arrived too late in the face of evil so many times. Truth endures only when there are people willing to bear witness to it, defend it, and pay the price for it.

It is not enough to know the truth. We have a duty to live it and to defend it.

We should not be surprised that the truth is rejected by those for whom falsehood has become a profession, a form of patriotism, or a supposed matter of national interest. They understand that no lie is as powerful as a single proven truth. That is why the denial of genocide is not merely an insult to the dead; it is a threat to the living. It seeks to destroy memory, because a crime is never fully accomplished as long as the truth about its victims lives on.

The Canadian response is not hatred. Hatred makes us resemble those who sowed it. Our response must be dignity, knowledge, moral steadfastness, and an unwavering faith in justice. Victims must never forget, but neither should they allow the past to imprison them. Remembrance is not a chain that binds us to yesterday. It is a light that illuminates our path toward tomorrow.

Here in Canada, we teach our children the truth about Srebrenica—not so that they may learn to hate, but so that they may learn to distinguish truth from falsehood, justice from injustice, and humanity from cruelty. A people who raise their children to preserve the truth secure their future. A people who allow the truth to be forgotten surrender their destiny to the stories of others.

The memorial in Windsor is not merely a place of mourning. Windsor is a school of human conscience. This first memorial to the victims of the Srebrenica genocide in the diaspora asks each of us: What have you done today to keep the truth alive? It is a question that carries greater weight than any commemoration or any speech.

Here in Canada, we preserve Bosnia by preserving the truth about Bosnia. We preserve our people by safeguarding their dignity. We preserve our faith by bearing witness to justice for every human being. And never forget: truth is not only a sacred trust owed to our martyrs; it is a sacred trust owed to all of humanity.

And let this be Windsor’s message:

May this July 11, 2026, be more than a day of mourning. Let it also be a day on which we renew our pledge to defend the truth without weariness, to pursue justice without hatred, to build peace without fear, and to love Bosnia without condition.

For a people who lose the truth will ultimately lose themselves. But a people who preserve the truth, no matter how deeply wounded, will preserve their soul, their dignity, and their future.

For this reason, from this sacred place in distant Canada, I firmly believe that the era of truth, justice, and the culture of remembrance is growing ever stronger. This is not only a victory over the intentions of genocide, but also a triumph of justice over injustice. Today, Windsor stands as one of the world’s commemorative centers and as a lasting reminder that life, faith, and truth will always outlive evil.