In July 1995, over 8,000 Bosnian Muslims were killed in the small town of Srebrenica within a few days. The genocide committed by Serbian troops is the only legally recognized genocide in Europe since World War II.

Ahmed Ustic and Ifeta Mejremic both survived the Srebrenica genocide. While she was able to leave the city on the back of a truck, he managed to escape to safety on a so-called death march lasting several days. Only those who experienced it can understand the hell of Srebrenica, says Ifeta Mejremic.

Before the city was captured by Ratko Mladic's Bosnian Serb troops in July 1995, it was under siege for several years. Overcrowded with refugees from surrounding villages who fled to what was supposedly the last safe enclave in the region, the city lacked everything. Srebrenica was supposed to be a UN-monitored safe zone.

Despite the suffering they experienced, both Ahmed Ustic and Ifeta Mejremic decided to return to their hometowns. He reopened his father's hair salon in the center of Srebrenica, while she built a chicken farm in Nova Kasaba near Srebrenica.

Srebrenica is the most serious crime of the Bosnian War. But it follows a series of war crimes that shaped the war from its very beginning. A war that broke out after Bosnia-Herzegovina declared independence from Yugoslavia in 1992, and which was about creating ethnically homogeneous territories. This happened after the collapse of Yugoslavia, which had already become apparent in the years before the war, became inevitable.

"Yugoslavia's Disintegration" is a three-part series in the SRF Wissen history podcast. Each episode is dedicated to one of the three major Yugoslav wars. The beginnings of the conflicts are covered, as are the continuing consequences. Each episode focuses on eyewitnesses who recount their experiences.

____________________
(00:00) Intro
(02:45) On Ifeta Mejremic's Farm
(04:31) Facts about the Genocide
(06:04) Reasons for the Breakup of Yugoslavia
(08:28) The Beginning of the War
(10:47) Everyday Life in Srebrenica during the War
(14:34) Srebrenica is Declared a Safe Zone
(16:22) The Genocide
(23:31) Legal Review
(24:37) Dayton Peace Agreement
(27:33) Return to the Old Homeland
____________________

Featured in this episode:
· Marie-Janine Calic: Historian, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich
· Ifeta Mejremic: Genocide survivor, now runs a chicken farm near Srebrenica
· Ahmed Ustic: Genocide survivor, now Hairdresser in Srebrenica

____________________

Literature:
• Taina Tervonen (2025). The Repair of the Living. Two Women in Bosnia-Herzegovina Searching for Those Murdered in the War. Zsolnay
• Marie-Janine Calic (2014). History of Yugoslavia in the 20th Century. C.H. Beck.
____________________

Research, Production, and Moderation:
Janis Fahrländer

Collaboration:
Hadidza Borovic
SRF Research and Archives
____________________

Here you'll really get to know history—with all its peculiarities, successes, failures, personalities, and dramas. In the SRF Wissen podcast "Geschichte" (formerly "Zeitblende"), we delve into Switzerland's past—and seek to understand how it shapes our present.

Do you have topic suggestions or feedback? Contact us at geschichte@srf.ch.