On 9 December 1948, drawing from the experience of the gravest crimes committed during the Second World War, the international community adopted the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. The Convention represents the first universal legal instrument that placed human existence above all political interests.
According to Article II of the Convention, genocide means any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, or religious group:
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killing members of the group;
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causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group;
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deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part;
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imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group;
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forcibly transferring children of the group to another group.
Today, as the world faces grave violations of international humanitarian law and serious allegations of genocide in Gaza, Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, this document serves as a warning and a reminder of the obligation to recognize, prevent, and punish every mass atrocity. By a 2015 resolution of the United Nations General Assembly, this date was proclaimed the International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of Genocide and of the Prevention of this Crime.
Through documentary photography and multimedia content, Gallery 11/07/95 represents a space where the past encounters the contemporary individual, emphasizing the ethical dimension as our shared responsibility.
While destructive trends of genocide denial and the glorification of its perpetrators persist relentlessly in Bosnia and Herzegovina, we remind that every such act poses a serious threat to the hard-won peace, the dignity of victims, and the security of future generations.
The mission of Gallery 11/07/95 remains devoted to fostering an understanding of historical facts and strengthening empathy and critical thinking, with the aim of building a just and responsible society that recognizes and rejects the early signs of intolerance, hatred, and violence.