Republika Srpska bans all gatherings in Srebrenica on September 2, 2026

All public gatherings planned for Srebrenica on Wednesday, September 2, 2026, have been banned by the Ministry of Interior of Republika Srpska for security reasons. The ministry's decision covers events that authorities judged could threaten public order in the town.

Two opposing events were affected

The ban applies to two separately announced gatherings: a rally in support of convicted war criminal Ratko Mladić and a peaceful meeting organized by associations that bring together survivors of the Srebrenica genocide.

In a statement, the Ministry of Interior of Republika Srpska said: "The Ministry of Interior of the RS confirmed that all gatherings are banned exclusively for security reasons, in order to prevent possible disruption of public order and peace. There will be no document for this confirmation, but we were told orally that the Ministry of Interior of the RS will not allow the holding of any event." The ministry indicated the order was communicated orally and that no written permit would be issued for the planned events.

The pro-Mladić rally had been announced for 5:00 p.m. on September 2. That announcement prompted a response from survivor groups, which intended to hold their own peaceful gathering in the town.

Alija Tabaković, president of the Club of Delegates of the Bosniak People, who had formally requested permission to hold the survivors' meeting, said the associations were informed by the Police Station in Srebrenica that the pro-Mladić event would not be allowed to take place. "Because we received firm guarantees from the Police Station in Srebrenica that they will not allow an informal group of citizens who announced such a meeting to take place in Srebrenica, we informed them that we are canceling the peaceful gathering," Tabaković said.

Ratko Mladić died in the detention hospital in The Hague last week. He had been convicted for war crimes committed in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Authorities in Republika Srpska cited the need to prevent any escalation between opposing groups as the reason for the broad ban on public gatherings.

Photo: press material from the event