Survivors of the Srebrenica massacre and hundreds of Bowling Green’s Bosnian residents participate in a peace march through downtown Bowling Green in 2024. (GRACE MCDOWELL / Daily News)

Thirty years ago, a small mountain town in eastern Bosnia was the site of a mass murder of several thousand men and boys. This weekend, members of Bowling Green’s Bosnian community will again gather to honor those lost in the worst case of mass murder in Europe since the Holocaust.

“Honoring this history is not just about the past,” Adela Muhic, a member of Bowling Green’s Bosnian community and an organizer of the march, stated to the Daily News. “It’s about fighting genocide denial, pushing for accountability, and ensuring that these atrocities are never repeated anywhere.”

The Srebrenica Massacre happened in July 1995 when Bosnian Serb military forces came into the city. More than 8,000 Bosniak men and boys were killed and a further 25,000 women, children and the elderly were displaced.

The remains of those killed were placed in mass graves around the area, and authorities are still identifying victims to this day.

In 2004, the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia deemed the event a genocide. As wars raged through southern Europe in the mid-1990s, many Bosnians fled the region and settled in Bowling Green.

Muhic, who lost both of her grandfathers and both uncles in the massacre, stated that the march is “more than just an event.”

“The march is deeply personal,” she stated. “One of my grandfathers’ remains have still not been found, even 30 years later … so many families, like mine, are still waiting to bury their loved ones with dignity.”

This year’s march will begin at 10 a.m. Saturday at Circus Square Park. Muhic stated that the march will measure 8,372 steps long, one step for each life lost during the massacre, with a route Muhic stated symbolizes the path taken by those escaping the killings as they fled Srebrenica.

State lawmakers this year designated July 11 as Remember Srebrenica Day in Kentucky. The resolution, sponsored by Sen. Mike Wilson, R-Bowling Green, states “many members of Kentucky’s Bosnian community are survivors or descendants of survivors of the genocide, carrying with them memories of unimaginable loss and pain.”

Muhic stated that remembrances such as the march is how she and members of the local community pay tribute to lost loved ones and educate future generations.

“For the younger generation, including many who were born here, it’s also a way to stay rooted in our history and take on the responsibility of remembrance,” she stated. “This is something our community has advocated for over decades — pushing for awareness, education and recognition.”