Srebrenica Genocide Remembrance Act of 2025
SB 2184, the Srebrenica Genocide Remembrance Act of 2025, would designate July 11 as a National Day of Remembrance for the Victims of the Srebrenica Genocide. The bill adds a new commemorative observance to chapter 1 of title 36 of the U.S. Code and encourages private citizens, organizations, and federal, state, and local governments to mark the day through proclamations, educational activities, and other remembrance efforts.
The findings section provides an extensive historical record of the Bosnian War, the siege and fall of Srebrenica, the killing of more than 8,000 Bosniak men and boys in July 1995, and subsequent international legal and diplomatic responses. It also frames the observance as part of broader efforts to preserve historical truth, oppose genocide denial, support Bosnia and Herzegovina’s territorial integrity and multiethnic character, and promote reconciliation and education.
In practical legal terms, the bill would not create a regulatory program or impose mandates; instead, it would amend federal commemorative law by adding a new national remembrance day. The affected statute is title 36 of the U.S. Code, and the bill would also update the table of sections to include the new designation. Its effects would be mainly symbolic and educational, with the federal government formally recognizing the date and inviting public observance.
The available context shows no recorded committee debate or votes, so there is no documented legislative opposition or support beyond the bill’s introduction and referral. The bill’s text itself suggests a strongly supportive and commemorative posture, emphasizing remembrance, condemnation of genocide denial, and support for Bosnia and Herzegovina. Any potential contention would likely center on the historical and political framing of the Bosnian War, the use of the term genocide, and references to specific regional actors and institutions, but no such dispute appears in the provided legislative history.
The bill would amend title 36 of the U.S. Code to establish July 11 as the National Day of Remembrance for the Victims of the Srebrenica Genocide and add a corresponding section to the chapter 1 table of sections. It would not change criminal, immigration, foreign policy, or funding statutes, but would formally recognize the observance in federal commemorative law and encourage educational and commemorative activities by public and private entities.
The bill’s tone is solemn and strongly supportive of remembrance, historical recognition, and condemnation of genocide denial. Because there are no committee transcripts or votes provided, the broader legislative sentiment cannot be measured from debate or roll call history, but the introduced text and bipartisan sponsorship by Senators Shaheen and Wicker indicate a likely consensus-oriented commemorative measure.
No explicit contention appears in the provided legislative record because there are no hearings, amendments, or votes included. Based on the bill text, the most likely points of disagreement would concern the historical characterization of the Srebrenica killings as genocide, references to Serb forces and Serbian authorities, and the bill’s condemnation of genocide denial and ethno-nationalist rhetoric. Those issues are politically sensitive in the Balkans and among observers of the Bosnian War, but the bill itself is framed as a remembrance resolution rather than a policy dispute.