Hasan Nuhanović is one of the most important witnesses to the Srebrenica genocide—as a survivor, an author, and a plaintiff whose legal case against the Dutch state set an important legal precedent.
Born in 1968 in Zvornik, Yugoslavia (now Bosnia and Herzegovina), Nuhanović grew up in Vlasenica. He studied mechanical engineering at the University of Sarajevo until Bosnian Serb forces and Serbian paramilitary units attacked and occupied his hometown following the outbreak of the Bosnian War in 1992. Like tens of thousands of other Bosnian refugees, he fled with his parents and brother to Srebrenica.
From 1993 onwards, he worked there as an interpreter, first for UN military observers and later for the Dutch UN battalion (Dutchbat) at the Potočari base. His employment allowed him to remain at the compound when Bosnian Serb forces captured Srebrenica in July 1995. His parents and brother, however, were forced to leave the base. His father, Ibro, and his brother, Muhamed, were murdered near Pilica, while his mother, Nasiha, was killed near Vlasenica.
Since then, Nuhanović has dedicated himself to documenting the events surrounding the genocide and seeking legal accountability. In 2008, he brought a case against the Dutch state, and in 2013 the Supreme Court of the Netherlands confirmed the state’s partial responsibility for the deaths of his family members.
His book Under the UN Flag: The International Community and the Srebrenica Genocide, first published in Bosnian in 2005 and in English in 2007, served as the basis for Jasmila Žbanić’s film Quo Vadis, Aida? (2020). His second, more autobiographical book, The Last Refuge: A True Story of War, Survival and Life Under Siege in Srebrenica, was published in English in 2019. In it, he recounts his family’s flight and life under siege in Srebrenica. Nuhanović is also a co-founder of the Srebrenica Memorial Center in Potočari, the principal memorial site commemorating the victims of the Srebrenica genocide.
Following his testimony, Hasan Nuhanović will be available for questions from the audience. The event will be held in English.
Attention: Registration is required (!). Please register by email at veranstaltungen@ieg-mainz.de.
This event is organised in cooperation with the House of Remembrance Mainz.
