A conference in Sarajevo commemorated the 30th anniversary of Srebrenica, highlighting parallels with Uyghur persecution and urging global action against ongoing genocide.
Campaign for Uyghurs (CFU) and the Center for Uyghur Studies (CUS) held a conference in Sarajevo on September 4, 2025, to mark the 30th anniversary of the Srebrenica Genocide while drawing urgent attention to the ongoing persecution of Uyghurs in East Turkistan. The event brought together lawmakers, diplomats, scholars, survivors, and advocates.
Opening remarks were delivered by Abdulhakim Idris, Executive Director of the Center for Uyghur Studies, who stressed the importance of learning from Srebrenica to prevent current and future genocides. Bosnian parliamentarians Šemsudin Mehmedović and Adi Kalem gave keynote addresses, emphasizing the parallels between the atrocities of Srebrenica and the Chinese Communist Party’s repression of Uyghurs.
Uyghur survivor Kalbinur Sidik shared powerful testimony of her experiences in the CCP’s concentration camps, linking past tragedies to the ongoing suffering of Uyghurs. A panel moderated by CFU Executive Director Rushan Abbas featured Abdulhakim Idris, journalist and author Marco Respinti, investigative journalist Gjergji Thanasi, Uyghur publisher and World Uyghur Congress religious affairs director Abdujelil Turan, and researcher Muhammed Emin Uygur, Assistant Director of the International Relations Academy in Türkiye. Discussions explored genocide, memory, resilience, and the global community’s complicity in human rights abuses.
Parliamentarian Šemsudin Mehmedović underscored the inadequacy of international responses: “Today, it is the Uyghurs. But tomorrow, if we remain silent, it could be any one of us, once again.” Adi Kalem added, “Silence in the face of injustice is not neutrality, it’s complicity. Silence is what allowed Srebrenica, and silence is what allows the camps in Xinjiang.”
CFU Executive Director Rushan Abbas called on the international community to confront Beijing’s crimes with urgency: “As we honor the victims of the Srebrenica Genocide, we are reminded that the failure to act decisively against atrocity allows history to repeat itself.”
The organizers stressed that commemorating Srebrenica must not only honor the victims but also serve as a commitment to preventing future atrocities. The Sarajevo event highlighted solidarity between Bosnian and Uyghur communities, urging coordinated global action to uphold the promise of “never again.”
Please make sure to cite Uyghur Haber as the source.
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