Srebrenica Genocide: Survivor Story
Harrowing details emerge from the srebrenica genocide with Hajrudin’s story, a primary_keyword survivor. He recounts the atrocities, the loss of his four brothers, and the failure of the UN’s “safe haven” designation. Witness the hatred that fueled General Mladić’s ethnic cleansing campaign and the delayed international intervention.Hear how Hajrudin,against all odds,survived the secondary_keyword massacres. news directory 3 presents this essential account to ensure the world remembers. Discover what’s next in the ongoing fight for justice and remembrance.
Srebrenica Genocide: Survivor hajrudin Remembers Atrocities
Updated June 29, 2025
Sarajevo in 1994″>Hajrudin, a survivor of the Srebrenica genocide, carries the weight of unimaginable loss. He lost four brothers during the Bosnian Serb campaign in the 1990s. His story underscores the brutality of the Srebrenica atrocities and the long shadow it casts.
Driven by a “pathological hatred” of Bosnian Muslims, General ratko Mladić implemented a strategy of ethnic cleansing, enabled by the support of Serbian President Slobodan Milošević. Mladić’s forces besieged Srebrenica, a strategic town held by Bosniaks, after war erupted in 1992.
Srebrenica had been designated a “safe haven” by the United Nations Security Council in April 1993. Though, lightly armed Dutch peacekeepers where unable to prevent the Bosnian Serb siege. Othre designated safe zones, including Sarajevo, Gorazde, and Bihać, also remained vulnerable.
By July 1995, Mladić launched his operation to seize Srebrenica. Video footage later showed Mladić triumphantly walking through the town, referring to the local population as “Turks,” a derogatory reference to their Ottoman heritage, and declaring it was time to take revenge.
Hajrudin’s ordeal began when his village was shelled, forcing his family to flee to Srebrenica. He recalls one bombardment that killed 76 people in a single day. At 21, he fled srebrenica, embarking on a harrowing journey for survival.
Over three years, he lost one brother to a sniper and another to artillery fire. while fleeing with another brother, they were separated, and Hajrudin later learned that this brother, too, had been killed.
His 17-day escape was fraught with peril. “We were exhausted and the pain from hunger was horrible,” Hajrudin said. Bosnian Serb forces deployed dogs to hunt down Bosniaks.
During one ambush, while trying to escape, Hajrudin slashed his throat. He witnessed the deaths of friends and narrowly avoided capture.
Reaching safety was a moment of profound relief. “My parents treated my arrival like a gift from heaven,” he said. Another brother, however, did not survive and was buried in 2003 after his remains were found in a minefield.
Hajrudin said Bosniaks had placed “great hopes” in the international community for protection but were “ultimately betrayed.”
It was only after a mortar attack on a Sarajevo market, which killed over 40 people, that NATO launched airstrikes on Bosnian Serb positions. Hajrudin questions why intervention took so long.
Mladić went into hiding in Serbia and was protected by the serbian military for years. He was arrested in 2011 and convicted of genocide,crimes against humanity,and war crimes in 2017. He remains in prison.
For Hajrudin, Mladić’s conviction offers “little consolation.”
“I was the only one who survived the genocide, even though my survival is a miracle, namely that they intended to kill me too, but they failed,” he said. “I guess someone had to survive and spread the truth.”
“Srebrenica is my open wound that will never heal,” he added. “Often, I dream and relive those nightmarish scenes… Every time I tell my personal story, I relive it all over again.”
He credits his faith for helping him endure the horror. “As one of the rare survivors, I must be supportive of all those who might give up and giving up is never an option,” he said.
Today, Hajrudin is a teacher living in Sarajevo with his family. But the anger remains. “After Srebrenica, the world said ‘never again’. Unfortunately, as so many times, that ‘never again’ has been forgotten,” he said, citing Gaza as an example.
He also laments that Srebrenica remains under the control of Republika Srpska, led by Milorad Dodik, who denies the genocide. “The peace agreement rewarded the aggressors and the policy of apartheid, sacrificing the Republic of Bosnia Herzegovina,” Hajrudin said.
Last year, the UN General Assembly designated July 11 as the “international Day of Reflection and Commemoration of the 1995 Genocide in Srebrenica,” despite opposition from Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vučić.
The resolution condemns any denial of the Srebrenica genocide and any actions that glorify those convicted of war crimes.
What’s next
The Dáil will commemorate the Srebrenica genocide with a minute’s silence on July 10, ensuring the Srebrenica atrocities are not forgotten.