I.M.A.M.’s Participation in the International Day of Reflection and Commemoration of the 1995 Srebrenica Genocide

On July 8, Dr. Seyed Masoud Noori, the representative of I.M.A.M. at the United Nations, participated in the Annual Commemoration of the International Day of Reflection and Commemoration of the 1995 Genocide in Srebrenica. The event took place on Tuesday, July 8, 2025, at 11:00 a.m. EDT in the General Assembly Hall at United Nations Headquarters in New York.

In conversations with other participants, the I.M.A.M. representative emphasized that the 1995 genocide in Srebrenica stands as a tragic testament to the devastating consequences of inaction by international bodies. Despite being declared a “safe area” under UN Security Council Resolution 819 in April 1993 and the deployment of 400 armed Dutch peacekeepers, the area fell under siege in July 1995. Over the course of a few days, more than 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys were brutally murdered by Bosnian Serb forces, while the international community failed to intervene effectively. This painful chapter of history continues to cast a shadow over the credibility of global institutions tasked with protecting civilians.

While we mourn what happened thirty years ago in Srebrenica, today in Gaza, approximately six times the number of victims of the Bosnian tragedy have fallen victim to genocide.

The I.M.A.M. representative further noted in these conversations that similar patterns of atrocity and inaction have emerged in recent decades, including but not limited to:

• The Rwandan genocide (1994) claimed the lives of nearly 1 million Tutsi and moderate Hutu victims.

See: https://www.un.org/en/preventgenocide/rwanda/?utm_source=chatgpt.com

• The ongoing crisis in Darfur, Sudan (since 2003), marked by mass killings and displacement.

See: https://www.un.org/en/genocideprevention/documents/UN_Special_Adviser_statement_Sudan_14_Nov_2023.pdf?utm_source=chatgpt.com

• And most recently, the persecution of the Uyghurs in Xinjiang, which several international.

See: https://www.ohchr.org/en/documents/country-reports/ohchr-assessment-human-rights-concerns-xinjiang-uyghur-autonomous-region

He emphasized that when the international community fails to act decisively, it not only betrays the victims but also erodes public trust in international law and multilateral institutions. This erosion of trust emboldens perpetrators, making them less fearful of accountability when committing genocide, forced displacement, or other crimes against humanity.

The I.M.A.M. representative underlined that reversing this pattern requires:
• Strengthening the international legal system and mechanisms for early intervention;
• Restoring public confidence in the impartiality and effectiveness of institutions like the UN;
• Ensuring that perpetrators of mass atrocities face justice, regardless of political interests.

Finally, he remarked that the promise of “Never Again” will remain hollow unless world leaders, civil society, and faith communities unite to defend human dignity and prevent such crimes wherever they occur.