,,iv #aafth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,h4 ,,res4 #ajde ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,july #ac1 #bjbj,ms4 ,johnson of ,texas 7for herself1 ,mr4 ,engel1 and ,mr4 ,mc,govern7 submitted the following resolution2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,armed ,services ,,resolution ,condemning the genocide and other crimes against the ,bosniak community perpetrated by ,bosnian ,serb forces at ,srebrenica in ,bosnia and ,herzegovina in ,july #aiie4 ,whereas1 beginning in ,april #aiib1 aggression and ethnic cleansing perpetrated by ,bosnian ,serb forces supported by the military and paramilitary forces from ,serbia while taking control in the surrounding territory resulted in a massive influx of ,bosniaks seeking protection in ,srebrenica and its environs1 which the ,united ,nations ,security ,council 7,,unsc7 designated a safe area within the ,srebrenica enclave in ,resolution #hai on ,april #af1 #aiic1 under the protection of the ,united ,nations ,protection ,force 7,,unprofor72 ,whereas the ,,unprofor presence in ,srebrenica consisted of a ,dutch peacekeeping battalion1 with representatives of the ,united ,nations ,high ,commissioner for ,refugees1 the ,international ,committee of the ,red ,cross1 and the humanitarian medical aid agency ,medecins ,sans ,frontieres 7,doctors ,without ,borders7 helping to provide humanitarian relief to the displaced population living in conditions of massive overcrowding1 destitution1 and disease2 ,whereas1 early in #aiie1 an intensified blockade of the enclave by ,bosnian ,serb forces supported by the military and paramilitary forces from ,serbia deprived the entire population of humanitarian aid and outside communication and contact1 and effectively reduced the ability of the ,dutch peacekeeping battalion to respond effectively to a deteriorating situation2 ,whereas1 beginning on ,july #f1 #aiie1 ,bosnian ,serb forces attacked ,,unprofor outposts1 seized control of the isolated enclave1 held captured ,dutch soldiers hostage and1 after skirmishes with local defenders1 took control of the town of ,srebrenica on ,july #aa1 #aiie2 ,whereas an estimated one-third of the population of ,srebrenica at the time1 including a relatively small number of soldiers1 attempted to pass through the lines of ,bosnian ,serb forces to the relative safety of ,bosnian ,government-controlled territory1 but many were killed by patrols and ambushes2 ,whereas the remaining population sought protection with the ,dutch peacekeeping battalion at its headquarters in the village of ,potocari north of ,srebrenica1 but many of these individuals were with seeming randomness seized by ,bosnian ,serb forces to be beaten1 raped1 or executed2 ,whereas ,bosnian ,serb forces deported women1 children1 and the elderly in buses1 but held over #h1jjj primarily ,bosniak men and boys at collection points in northeastern ,bosnia and ,herzegovina under their control1 and then summarily executed the captives and buried them in mass graves2 ,whereas ,bosnian ,serb forces1 hoping to conceal evidence of the ,srebrenica massacre1 subsequently moved corpses from initial mass grave sites to many secondary and tertiary sites scattered throughout parts of northeastern ,bosnia and ,herzegovina under their control2 ,whereas the ,srebrenica massacre was among the worst of many atrocities to occur in the conflict in ,bosnia and ,herzegovina from ,april #aiib to ,november #aiie1 during which the policies of aggression and ethnic cleansing pursued by ,bosnian ,serb forces with the direct support of ,slobodan ,milosevic and the ,yugoslav ,government led to the displacement of more than #b1jjj1jjj people1 more than #ajj1jjj killed1 and tens of thousands raped1 tortured1 and abused1 including at concentration camps in the ,prijedor area1 with the innocent civilians of ,sarajevo and other urban centers repeatedly subjected to traumatic shelling and sniper attacks2 ,whereas in addition to being the primary victims in ,srebrenica1 individuals with ,bosniak heritage comprise the vast majority of the victims during the conflict in ,bosnia and ,herzegovina as a whole1 especially among the civilian population2 ,whereas article #b of the ,convention on the ,prevention and ,punishment of the ,crime of ,genocide defines genocide as any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy1 in whole or in part1 a national1 ethnical1 racial or religious group1 as such3 7a7 killing members of the group2 7b7 causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group2 7c7 deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part2 7d7 imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group2 and 7e7 forcibly transferring children of the group to another group2 ,whereas1 on ,may #be1 #aiic1 the ,,unsc adopted ,resolution #hbg establishing the ,international ,criminal ,tribunal for the former ,yugoslavia 7,,icty71 based in ,the ,hague1 the ,netherlands1 and charging the ,,icty with responsibility for investigating and prosecuting individuals suspected of committing war crimes1 genocide1 crimes against humanity1 and grave breaches of the #aidi ,geneva ,conventions on the territory of the former ,yugoslavia since #aiia2 ,whereas the ,,icty1 along with courts in ,bosnia and ,herzegovina and in ,serbia1 have indicted and convicted more than #a1jjj individuals at the highest and additional levels of responsibility for grave breaches of the #aidi ,geneva ,conventions1 violations of the laws or customs of war1 crimes against humanity1 genocide1 and complicity in genocide associated with the ,srebrenica massacre2 ,whereas the ,,icty found ,radovan ,karadzic guilty of genocide1 war crimes1 and crimes against humanity and found ,ratko ,mladic guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity1 and ultimately sentenced both to life in prison2 ,whereas both the ,,icty and the ,international ,court of ,justice have ruled that the actions of ,bosnian ,serb forces in ,srebrenica in ,july #aiie constitute genocide2 ,whereas ,house ,resolution #aii1 passed on ,june #bg1 #bjje1 and ,house ,resolution #caj1 passed on ,july #h1 #bjae1 expressed the sense of the ,house of ,representatives that the aggression and ethnic cleansing committed by ,bosnian ,serb forces supported by military and paramilitary forces from ,serbia in ,bosnia and ,herzegovina meets the terms defining genocide according to the #aidi ,genocide ,convention2 ,whereas the ,united ,nations has acknowledged its failure to take actions and make decisions that could have deterred the assault on ,srebrenica and prevented the subsequent genocide from occurring2 ,whereas some prominent ,serbian and ,bosnian ,serb officials1 including current ,serb member of ,bosnia and ,herzegovina's three-member presidency1 ,milorad ,dodik1 who has falsely labelled the ,srebrenica genocide a fabricated myth and the greatest deception of the twentieth century1 have denied that the massacre at ,srebrenica constituted a genocide or have sought to otherwise trivialize the extent and importance of the genocide2 ,whereas other prominent ,serbian and ,bosnian ,serb officials have denied or refused to acknowledge that the ,srebrenica massacre constituted a genocide1 or have sought to trivialize the extent and importance of the massacre by disputing the number and identities of ,srebrenica's victims1 claiming the existence of an international anti-,serb conspiracy1 and disputing definitions under the ,,un ,genocide ,convention2 ,whereas many in the ,republika ,srpska1 the ,bosnian ,serb entity of ,bosnia and ,herzegovina1 and municipalities1 institutions1 and other authorities within it have honored and glorified war criminals in an effort to rewrite the history of their offenses and instituted school curricula that teach students false narratives of ,srebrenica or omit it2 ,whereas some nongovernmental organizations in ,serbia dedicated to human rights and justice have been instrumental in helping to document atrocities which occurred during the conflict in ,bosnia and ,herzegovina1 as well as their perpetrators1 and have worked tirelessly to encourage ,serbian officials and the public to acknowledge the crimes committed by ,serb forces during that conflict and to support the pursuit of justice regarding those crimes2 ,whereas the community of nations1 including the ,united ,states1 that intervened militarily to prevent further aggression and ethnic cleansing as well as to advance negotiation of the ,general ,framework ,agreement for ,peace in ,bosnia and ,herzegovina 7initialed in ,dayton1 ,ohio1 on ,november #ba1 #aiie1 and signed in ,paris on ,december #ad1 #aiie7 has continued to provide personnel and resources to help ensure fullest implementation of the agreement1 as well as to bring reconciliation among all of ,bosnia and ,herzegovina's citizens2 ,whereas the ,office of the ,high ,representative of ,bosnia and ,herzegovina continues to operate through the multination ,peace ,implementation ,council1 but with diminished financial and personnel resources and1 in its twice-yearly reports to the ,,unsc1 repeated abstentions from exercise of its full executive powers2 and ,whereas the ,united ,states established the ,atrocities ,prevention ,board1 an interagency committee that studied the lessons of ,srebrenica and issued informed guidance on how to prevent similar incidents from recurring in the future1 and1 in the ,congress1 passed the ,elie ,wiesel ,genocide and ,atrocities ,prevention ,act1 under which the ,united ,states ,government reports to ,congress its progress in such preventative measures3 ,now1 therefore1 be it ,that the ,house of ,representatives-- 7#a7 condemns the genocide perpetrated by ,serb forces in ,bosnia and ,herzegovina from #aiib to #aiie2 7#b7 condemns statements1 actions1 and policies that deny or question that the massacre at ,srebrenica constituted a genocide and that dishonor the victims or disrespect their families1 and recognizes that entire ethnic groups or communities are not responsible for the crimes committed by some members of their forces2 7#c7 urges the ,peace ,implementation ,council to restore full funding to the ,office of the ,high ,representative of ,bosnia and ,herzegovina1 and encourages the ,high ,representative to exercise his full executive powers to ensure that the ,general ,framework ,agreement for ,peace is implemented fully and to call for an end to historical revisionism1 particularly as it relates to the genocide at ,srebrenica2 7#d7 encourages the ,united ,states to maintain and reaffirm its policy of supporting the sovereignty1 legal continuity1 unity1 and territorial integrity of ,bosnia and ,herzegovina within its internationally recognized borders2 7#e7 reaffirms its strong support for the people of ,bosnia and ,herzegovina and their aspirations for greater democracy1 economic prosperity1 and success in ,euro-,atlantic and ,european ,integration2 7#f7 urges the people of ,bosnia and ,herzegovina1 their elected representatives1 and the international community to place renewed emphasis on respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms held by the individual1 which should not be compromised by any collective protections and privileges to a group1 ethnically based or otherwise2 7#g7 encourages the ,united ,states to promote peace and stability in southeastern ,europe as a whole1 and the right of all people living in the region1 regardless of national1 racial1 ethnic1 or religious background1 to return to their homes and enjoy the benefits of democratic institutions1 the rule of law1 and economic opportunity1 as well as to know the fate of missing relatives and friends2 7#h7 recognizes the assistance of the ,international ,commission for ,missing ,persons to ,bosnia and ,herzegovina and its relevant institutions in accounting for nearly #ij percent of those reported missing after the ,srebrenica massacre and approximately #ge percent of those reported missing during the whole of the conflict in ,bosnia and ,herzegovina2 7#i7 welcomes the completion of the work of the ,international ,criminal ,tribunal for the former ,yugoslavia1 including its convictions and sentencing of ,radovan ,karadzic1 ,ratko ,mladic1 and #hh other persons convicted of offenses including war crimes1 crimes against humanity1 genocide1 grave breaches of the #aidi ,geneva ,conventions1 and related offenses1 a judicial process that has helped strengthen peace and encouraged reconciliation between the countries of the region and their citizens2 7#aj7 remains concerned that ethnic tensions stoked by political leaders and extreme nationalist sentiment can deter recovery and reconciliation in ,bosnia and ,herzegovina1 and even encourage new violence with potentially deadly consequences2 7#aa7 urges all political leaders in ,bosnia and ,herzegovina to cease using divisive rhetoric to stoke ethnic divisions in order to achieve shortsighted political gains2 7#ab7 urges all political leaders to demonstrate courage by championing tolerance1 empathy1 and mutual respect for the purpose of fostering lasting reconciliation1 peace1 and prosperity for the people of ,bosnia and ,herzegovina2 and 7#ac7 recognizes the #h1cgb people killed or executed at ,srebrenica in ,bosnia and ,herzegovina in ,july #aiie1 along with all individuals who endured pain and suffering or who were killed in ,bosnia and ,herzegovina from #aiib to #aiie1 as well as foreign nationals1 including ,united ,states citizens1 and those individuals in ,serbia1 ,croatia1 and ,bosnia and ,herzegovina1 and other countries of the region who risked or lost their lives because of their defense of human rights1 fundamental freedoms1 and ethnic identity without discrimination4