A memorial event to remember those who perished in the Bosnian town of Srebrenica was held in Wembley at the weekend.

Brent & Kilburn Times: The charity event remembered victims of genocide in Srebrenica, BosniaThe charity event remembered victims of genocide in Srebrenica, Bosnia (Image: Archant)

Brent Council hosted the two-hour remembrance at the Brent Civic Centre on Sunday where survivors came to tell their stories and videos highlighting the horrific events that unfolded were screened.

Organised by Remembering Srebrenica Charity, the event commemorated 21 years since the Srebrenica genocide in Bosnia, which claimed the lives of over 8000 men and boys.

During the Balkans conflict of 1992-1995, the Bosnian town of Srebrenica was declared a UN Safe Area in 1993, under the watch of the United Nations Protection Force (UNPROFOR).

In July 1995, General Ratko Mladi? and his Serbian paramilitary units overran and captured the town, despite its designation as an area “free from any armed attack or any other hostile act”.

In the days following Srebrenica’s fall, more than 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys were systematically massacred and buried in mass graves.

Cllr Parvez Ahmed, mayor of Brent, said: “It has been 21 years since the horrific events in Srebrenica but no amount of time will pass where it is not important to commemorate such a terrible time in human history.

“Over 8000 people lost their lives and remembering those people should act as a lesson from history that we cannot allow the atrocities and suffering that took place in Srebrenica at that time, to ever happen again.

“Brent is the most diverse borough in the country and is a fantastic example of how people from communities across the world, can live together and be proud of their culture, whilst respecting and embracing other cultures. I was pleased to see so many of our residents at the event.”