SCOTLAND’S First Minister has paid tribute to the victims and survivors of the Srebrenica genocide 25 years on.
On July 11 1995, Bosnian Serb units captured the town of Srebrenica in Bosnia-Herzegovina. In less than two weeks the forces murdered more than 8000 Bosniaks in the worst mass killing on European soil since the end of the Second World War.
On the 25th anniversary of the massacre politicians around the world have paid tribute to the victims and survivors.
This morning the Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary paid their respects to the 8372 mostly Muslim men and boys killed during those 10 days.
In 2016 Nicola Sturgeon visited the memorial at Potocari. The First Minister shared images from the trip on Twitter today, saying it was “one of the most profound experiences of my life”.
In 2016, I visited the memorial at Potočari to pay my respects to the victims and survivors of the Srebrenica genocide. It was one of the most profound experiences of my life. 25 years on, let us remember them and resolve to always stand against hate and prejudice. @SrebrenicaMC pic.twitter.com/q3EhGcXNbu
— Nicola Sturgeon (@NicolaSturgeon) July 11, 2020
She wrote: “25 years on, let us remember them and resolve to always stand against hate and prejudice.”
Speaking in a video on Twitter, Boris Johnson said: "I want to join with you once more in mourning the victims of those terrible events, and to stand with the families in their fight for justice.
"As in so many cases from this conflict which brought violence and destruction across the western Balkans, many families still do not know what happened to their loved ones. Many perpetrators have still not been held to account.
"And there are those who would prefer to forget or deny the enormity of what took place. We must not allow that to happen.
"We owe it to the victims and to future generations to remember Srebrenica and to ensure it never happens again."
READ MORE: We must not allow likes of Srebrenica to happen ever again
However Johnson is facing calls from 30 MPs to apologise for comments he made in the Spectator in 1997 regarding the genocide.
Writing to the Prime Minister, Tony Lloyd wrote: "In 1997, when you were a political columnist for the Spectator, you wrote an article challenging Bianca Jagger's support for more direct intervention against the Serbian Army in the Bosnian war.
"You wrote: 'Alright, I say, the fate of Srebrenica was appalling. But they weren't exactly angels, these Muslims'.
"As we commemorate the 25th anniversary of the atrocity, it is unthinkable that you would publicly attend national memorial events, without having apologised for such comments."
A Government spokeswoman said: "This quote is clearly taken out of context.
"The Prime Minister has, over the last 25 years, consistently condemned the Srebrenica genocide as one of the worst crimes in history."
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