HE HAD never trained to be an artist, but after visiting the mass graves of Bosnia, Glasgow forensic technician Robert McNeil never forget the horrors he saw there.

Years later, still disturbed by the images which lived on in his memory, he was compelled to depict his experience through painting.

Next Saturday (July 11) marks the 25th anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide, when Bosnian Serb forces led by General Ratko Mladić massacred 8372 men and boys in the greatest atrocity on European soil since the Second World War.

Some of McNeil’s paintings, which present the challenging themes of loss, grief and the scientific processes involved in conflict zones, are now on display at the St Mungo Museum of Religious Life and Art.

Witness, Subjugation and Srebrenica Women are part of Remembering Srebrenica, a wider programme of commemorations which has been taking place across Glasgow and beyond in 2020 to commemorate the 25th anniversary.

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Due to the COVID-19 crisis, this month’s face-to-face commemorations have been cancelled, but Remembering Srebrenica Scotland is running a range of virtual events including a podcast series, ‘Srebrenica Stories’, featuring past charity delegates and those who lived or worked in Bosnia during the war.

A real-life timeline of events in Srebrenica from early July 1995 told through the experiences of one Bosniak teenager and her family, recounting the fateful days where she was separated from her brother, is also running on Twitter.

Remembering Srebrenica Scotland is dedicated to working with victims and survivors of the genocide.

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It is the only organisation outside of Bosnia-Herzegovina dedicated to commemorating and raising awareness about the Srebrenica genocide and its legacy.

Remembering Srebrenica Scotland keeps their memory alive by organising commemoration events and providing education resources for Scottish schools.

The Very Rev Dr Lorna Hood, chairperson of Remembering Srebrenica Scotland, said: “Since our launch in 2015, we have brought communities together across Scotland, taken dozens of delegates to Bosnia to learn lessons from survivors, and developed an educational resource for use in Scottish schools.

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“This year marks the 25th anniversary of the genocide, but there are still families searching for the bodies of their loved ones, and there is still denial about the atrocities which took place.”

She added: “In Scotland, we will be marking the anniversary with a series of virtual events and hope to spread the lesson from Srebrenica that no society is invulnerable to prejudice and intolerance.”

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Earlier this year, as his paintings were unveiled at St Mungo Robert McNeil said: ‘I hope having these works on display will highlight and continue to raise awareness of religious persecution and ethnic cleansing across the world.

“We must learn from past horrors and make sure that younger generations are aware, not just about the history of the genocide in Bosnia, but how to recognise the signs of intolerance and the violence it generates wherever in the world it occurs and take action to persuade those in power to end it.”