From Mass Graves to Memorial Graves: The Role of DNA in Srebrenica

Abstract

The Srebrenica genocide of July 1995 resulted in the killing of more than 8,000 Bosniak men and boys, many of whom were buried in mass and secondary graves in an attempt to conceal the crime. In the aftermath, the process of identifying victims and returning them to their families became one of the largest and most complex DNA-led identification efforts in the world. This paper examines how DNA technology was employed to recover, identify, and rebury the victims of Srebrenica. It traces the work of the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP), highlighting the methodological shift from traditional forensic techniques to large-scale DNA matching between bone samples and family reference profiles. The paper also explores the challenges posed by body fragmentation, reburials, and incomplete remains, and how these were addressed scientifically and logistically. Finally, it considers the significance of DNA-based identifications for the reburial ceremonies at Potočari Memorial Centre, where families could lay their loved ones to rest with certainty. The Srebrenica case stands as a landmark in demonstrating the capacity of forensic genetics not only to restore identity to the victims of mass atrocities but also to provide a foundation for truth, mourning, and historical record.

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