Mined area near Srebrenica. On July 11th, 1995, when Bosnian Serb troops led by Ratko Mladic stormed through the UN peacekeeping enclave, hundreds of inhabitants decided to flee through the woods. Many of them were killed or captured.

Human remains found in a mined area near Srebrenica.

Human remains found in a mined area near Srebrenica.

Human remains and a key of a missing person found in a mined area near Srebrenica.

Deminer from Norwegian People's Aid demining the area around Srebrenica where hundreds of inhabitants tried to flee through enemy lines on July 11, 1995 when Bosnian Serb troops stormed trough the UN peacekeeping enclave. Deminers are trying to find human remains to identify missing persons.

A deminer from Norwegian People's Aid (NPA) holding human remains found during demining activities in the Srebrenica area.

Deminers from Norwegian Peoples Aid (NPA) are finding human bones and clothings of thoses who died while trying to flee through enemy lines after Bosnian Serb troops stormed Srebrenica on July 11, 1995.

Human remains and clothings found during demining activities by Norwegian People's Aid (NPA) in Srebrenica area. After the enclave had been stormed by Bosnian Serb troops hundreds of people tried to escape through mined area.

Human remains found in a mined area near Srebrenica. After Bosnian Serb troops stormed the enclave hundreds tried to flee through enemy lines and were captured or killed.

Newly found human bones were marked. Soon they will be covered until they got collected by ICMP for identification process.

A deminer from Norwegian People's Aid is clearing a lot in Srebrenica area.

A deminer from NPA showing clothings found during demining activities in the Srebrenica area.

A deminer from NPA showing clothings found during demining activities in the Srebrenica area.

A wallet from a missing person found during demining activities. ICMP is collecting all clothings and human remains in order to identify missing persons.

A toothbrush from a missing person found during demining activities. ICMP is collecting all clothings and human remains in order to identify missing persons.

Zijad Ibrić who fled the enclave on Juy 11th, 1995 through enemy lines and survived. He is now working as a deminer in the region where he is also finding human remains of those who didn't make it through.

New roads had to be build in order to enter the mined area around Srebrenica to start demining activities and search for human remains.

A young Bosnian woman is walking next to some of the tombstones at the Potocari memorial cemetary.

Bosnian women mourn at the coffin of a relative prior to the mass burial at Potocari on the 19th anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide.

In the mortuary of Tuzla’s Podrinje Identification Project (PIP) rest several hundred body bags with the remains of victims from the 1995 Srebrenica massacre. The dead have been identified through DNA analysis but not yet all of their remains have been found. Sometimes family members of the killed victims decide to wait to hold a burial until all bones have been excavated. The identification process is complicated by the fact that in the days and weeks following the Srebrenica massacre ‘primary mass graves’ were unearthed and the remains buried in many different ‘secondary mass graves’ to cover tracks.

Human remains from a secondary mass grave. Forensic anthropologists from Podrinje Identification Project (PIP) have tried to extract DNA from the bones and connect it to blood samples in ICMP’s databank. Until now they didn’t find a match. Sometimes it is not easy to extract enough intact DNA from bones, and often identification is not possible because of the lack of blood samples from relatives.

Dragana Vučetić, Senior Forensic Anthropologist at the International Comitee for Missing Persons (ICMP), with human remains from a Srebrenica-massacre related ‘secondary mass grave’. For four years now ICMP has tried to extract DNA and connect it to blood samples in their databank. Until now they didn’t find a match. Sometimes it is not easy to extract DNA from bones, often identification is not possible because of the lack of blood samples from relatives.

Dragana Vučetić, Senior Forensic Anthropologist at the International Comitee for Missing Persons (ICMP), with human remains from a Srebrenica-massacre related ‘secondary mass grave’. For four years now, ICMP has tried to extract DNA and connect it to blood samples in their databank. Until now they didn’t find a match. Sometimes it is not easy to extract DNA from bones, and often identification is not possible because of the lack of blood samples from relatives.

Blood samples store in Tuzla's Identification Coordination Division (ICD). Identification of missing persons with DNA tests is only possible if a blood reference sample of a close relative is available. ICMP and ICD have made numerous campaigns to encourage relatives of war victims (many of them already living in diaspora abroad) to give blood samples to make identification possible.

In the mortuary of Tuzla’s Podrinje Identification Project (PIP) rest several hundred body bags with the remains of victims from the 1995 Srebrenica massacre. The dead have been identified through DNA analysis but not yet all of their remains have been found. Family members of the killed victims have decided to hold a burial until all bones have been excavated. The identification process is a complicated one because in the days and weeks following the Srebrenica massacre, perpetrators unearthed ‘primary mass graves’ and scattered the remains in many different ‘secondary mass graves’ to cover their tracks.

A team member of Tuzla's Identification Coordination Division (ICD) shows a bone sample taken from a mass grave near Bosanski Brod. He will soon try to extract DNA from the bone and hopefully the sample will match with a blood sample given by a relative of a missing person to be identified. Identification of missing persons with DNA tests is only possible if a blood reference sample of a close relative is available. ICMP and ICD have made numerous campaigns to encourage relatives of war victims (many of them already living in diaspora abroad) to give blood samples to make identification possible.

A team member of Tuzla's Identification Coordination Division (ICD) is working on a blood sample taken from a relative of a missing person and extracting DNA for further identification process. Identification of missing persons with DNA tests is only possible if a blood reference sample of a close relative is available. ICMP and ICD have made numerous campaigns to encourage relatives of war victims (many of them already living in diaspora abroad) to give blood samples to make identification possible.

A team member of Tuzla's Identification Coordination Division (ICD) shows a blood sample taken from a relative of a missing persons. Identification of missing persons with DNA tests is only possible if a blood reference sample of a close relative is available. ICMP and ICD have made numerous campaigns to encourage relatives of war victims (many of them already living in diaspora abroad) to give blood samples to make identification possible. "We have received blood samples even from Australia" says Edin Jasaragic, ICD's managing director.

Staff members of Tuzla's Identification Coordination Division (ICD) try to match blood samples of relatives from Bosnian war victims with samples from exhumed bones from mass graves.

Human remains from a recently discovered secondary mass grave. The bones belong to various victims and are not yet identified.

A mother is weeping at her son’s grave minutes after the burial at the 19th anniversary of the 1995 Srebrenica genocide where 175 newly identified victims have been laid to rest.

Men carry coffins during the commemoration at the 19th anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide where 175 newly identified victims were buried.

A woman is fainting and another is weeping during the burial of a close relative at the 19th anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide.

Women mourn while one faints as her son is buried during the 19th anniversary of the annual commemoration of 1995 Srebrenica genocide.

In the years following the 1995 genocide in Srebrenica - years before DNA identification was accurate - ICMP has produced two books with clothings and valuables found with/next to vicitms in mass graves so that relatives were able to identify their loved ones. Today identification process is only done by DNA tests (match of blood and bone samples).

A Bosnian man is mourning over the grave of a close relative from 1995 Srebrenica genocide.

Coffins with newly identified victims of the 1995 Srebrenica genocide are carried to their burial sites.

The town of Srebrenica, nowadays mostly inhabited by Bosnian Serbs but also by muslim Bosniaks. During the Bosnian war the town became an enclave under UN protection. Nevertheless Bosnian Serb military invaded the enclave. The UN did not protect the civilians. At least 8.372, nearly all of the unarmed civilians, where systematically executed. Today an orthodox church lies next to a mosque.

During this year's annual commemoration 175 newly identified victims of the 1995 Srebrenica genocide were buried. A Bosnian woman is mourning at the coffin of a relative prior to the mass burial at Potocari.

Relatives of victims of the 1995 genocide in Srebrenica are waling in front of the former UN barracks in Potocari, the place where thousands of Bosniaks tried to seek shelter from Bosnian Serb forces under Ratko Mladic. The UN was not able to protect the refugees who were take away by paramilitars and army personal to be executed. 8.372 people were killed after the enclave of Srebrenica fell, nearly all of the unarmed civililans who were systemetically executed.