London Mayor visits Srebrenica Memorial Center ahead of genocide anniversary

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has become the first mayor of a global city to visit the Srebrenica Memorial Center, travelling to Bosnia & Herzegovina to pay his respects ahead of the anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide.

During the visit, the Mayor met Dr Emir Suljagić, executive director of the Memorial Center and a survivor of the massacre, and spoke with families of victims, including the “Mothers of Srebrenica,” as he conveyed condolences on behalf of Londoners. The visit comes ahead of commemorations marking the 1995 genocide, in which more than 8,000 Bosniak Muslim men and boys were killed and over 30,000 women, children and elderly people were forcibly displaced. The killings are widely recognised as the worst mass atrocity in Europe since the Holocaust and are formally referred to as the Srebrenica genocide.

Describing the visit as “humbling,” Sadiq Khan said it was important to remember the victims and learn from history at a time of rising global tensions. “It’s never been more important to learn the lessons of history and remember that we have more in common than that which divides us,” he said. He added that remembrance sites play a vital role in countering hatred and preventing future atrocities, particularly amid concerns about growing division and misinformation.

Dr Emir Suljagić said the memorial exists to preserve evidence of the crime and the names of victims, stressing that “forgetting is never accidental” and warning against historical revisionism and denial.

While in Bosnia & Herzegovina, Khan also met members of the country’s Presidency, including Denis Bećirović, as well as officials from Sarajevo including Mayor Samir Avdić and Prime Minister Nihad Uk, to discuss the importance of remembrance and ongoing regional challenges.

The visit follows Khan’s earlier trip to the Auschwitz-Birkenau memorial in Poland, continuing what he described as efforts to engage directly with sites of mass atrocity to reinforce the importance of historical memory and education.