Original article (in Montenegrin) was published on 11/7/2025; Author: Nina Đuranović
Every July 11 is an occasion for messages of remembrance for the victims, solidarity with the survivors, but also a warning that the horrors of the Srebrenica genocide must never again be repeated, anywhere.
But it is also an occasion for disinformation, which our newsroom points out almost every year.
Several Serbian media outlets such as Alo.rs (archived) (including Alo online.me (archived), a portal in Montenegro), Novosti.rs (archived), Kurir (archived), Pink.rs (archived), Informer (archived), B92 (archived) published a message by European Union (EU) Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos, who allegedly said that the genocide in Srebrenica was committed by Serbs.
“Scandalous statement of EU Commissioner Marta Kos: ‘Serbs committed genocide!’
EU protector of Serbian blockers: Today we must tell the whole world, Serbs committed genocide!” — these are some of the headlines published by the mentioned media.
The alleged statement of the European Commissioner for Enlargement, along with offensive comments, was also shared by several Facebook users (1, 2) (archived).
In the article itself, regional media stated that Kos had shared the disputed statement on social network X, formerly Twitter.
“The video message of the EU representative caused strong reactions in Serbia and the region — a new insult to a people who suffered enormous losses during the wars in the former Yugoslavia.
European Union Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos provoked heated polemics and condemnation throughout Serbia after she posted on the social network ‘X’ (formerly Twitter) a video in which, without any reservation, she said:
‘Today we must tell the whole world – Serbs committed genocide!’,” regional media reported.
What did Kos actually say?
Commissioner Kos shared a video post on X (archived) on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide, accompanied by the caption:
“Today I pay respect to the victims of the Srebrenica genocide. It is our duty to remember.
It is our duty to stand up and never look away when human rights are at stake and when the dignity of other people is endangered.”
In neither the first nor the second part of the post (a longer video message) did the EU Commissioner mention Serbia or Serbs, nor did she accuse them of genocide, as the media manipulatively reported.
“The genocide of Srebrenica took place during my lifetime. So close to us. It reminds us that human beings are capable of the unimaginable and that hatred and dehumanization can lead to the worst crimes. Srebrenica is a deep scar on European history.
It is our duty to remember. It is our duty to stand up and never look away whenever the preachers of hate question human rights and undermine the dignity of others. We must say No – to divisions, no – to hatred, no – to the glorification of war criminals,” Kos added.
Kos actually sent a message of reconciliation, as shown by the longer transcript of her address (archived):
“Instead, we should jointly turn to the future. European history also shows us a different path. In the European Union we address differences through dialogue and in mutual respect. We are protected by democratic institutions.
Different beliefs, religions, ethnicities, identities and languages are recognized and respected. In so many places where people live together in peace, defined not by their ethnicity, but by shared humanity and protected by human rights. Let us protect those values at all costs, anywhere in the world,” Kos added.
The rulings of international courts leave no room for debate about those responsible.
According to the judgments of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and the International Court of Justice (ICJ), direct responsibility for the genocide in Srebrenica lies with individuals from the army and police of Republika Srpska (RS), as well as the political and military leadership of RS.
The EU recognizes the genocide in Srebrenica as a historical fact, precisely in accordance with the rulings of international courts.
It is clear that the part of the statement of the European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos, in which she allegedly blames Serbs as responsible for the genocide in Srebrenica, is entirely fabricated, which is why media reports and social media posts are rated as fake news.
Despite attempts to convince the public otherwise, there is no declaration, resolution or similar document declaring Serbs to be a genocidal people, nor has any official judgment or condemnation issued by regional officials ever suggested this, which shows that this is a false narrative promoted by centers seeking to deny what happened in Srebrenica – genocide – about which we have written many times before (1,2).
The rating “Fake News” is given to the original media report (completely produced by the media outlet that published it) that contains factually incorrect claims or information. For content rated as fake news, it can be reliably determined that it was created and disseminated with the intent to misinform the public, that is, to present a claim that is completely false as a fact.
