By gathering 16,744 shoes for the 8,372 victims of the massacre in Srebenica on July 11,1995, the "Center for Political Beauty” intends to remind the public of the genocidal crime committed by Serbian troops in the east-Bosnian city of Srebrenica. Shoes have been collected from Bosnia, Austria, Switzerland, and Germany and have been brought to Berlin to be combined with shoes taken directly from the mass graves in Srebrenica. A "Pillar of Shame” will be erected out of these shoes near Srebrenica. The shape of this memorial is two 8-meter high letters: U and N which stand for the United Nations, in order to recall the failure of the UN Security Council to prevent the genocide in Bosnia. "Europe is in Bosnia’s debt!”(Europa steht in Bosnias Schuld!) criticizes the Society for Threatened Peoples STP (Gesellschaft für bedrohte Völker GfbV) on its banners, which accompany the demonstration taking place in the heart of Berlin. This human rights organization challenges European governments to finally bring the most-wanted alleged war criminal, Ratko Mladic, to trial. It further requests that the governments ensure Bosnians visa-free travel, to admit Bosnia into the EU and NATO, and to support the reconstruction and reunification of Bosnia.

"The murderers in Srebrenica were Serbian troops,” states Tilman Zülch, president of STP-International. "The Security Council, however, especially its permanent members France, the UK, and Russia, repeatedly blocked any moves to intervene in the 1992-1995 genocide in Bosnia. Because of this, at least 150,000 people died. Other European governments likewise stood by while the genocide was going on, and for this reason, the blame lies with them as well. They failed to stop the Serbian military from building more than 100 concentration camps, internment camps, and rape camps in Bosnia-Herzegowina where they murdered thousands of prisoners. Nor did they stop the military from displacing 2.2 million Bosnians, from closing off cities, or from continuously shooting unprotected citizens. The destruction of 1,189 mosques and madrasahs - important aspects of the Bosnian Muslim culture - was yet another crime the Serbian troops were allowed to commit unchecked.

The genocide in Srebrenica is the worst massacre that has occured on European soil since the second World War. The 40,000 citzens of Srebrenica and refugees from nearby villages resorted to relying on the protection of UN soldiers stationed in the area. On July 11, 1995 Serbian troops marched into Srebrenica under the command of Ratko Mladic, an alleged war criminal who remains at large. They separated men and boys from women, children, and the elderly and murdered them all. Those who sought refuge with the UN-Peacekeeping forces were refused protection and were therefore sent into the arms of their murderers. The 8,372 murdered were hastily buried in mass graves. 560 of the 8,372 victims were women. The remains of many of the victims were later dug out and reburied in other locations, making it impossible for them either to be identified or given a proper burial. Thousands of the surviving "Mothers of Srebrenica” continue to wait to hear whether their loved ones were, as feared, among the murdered.

Tilman Zülch is available to answer questions at the following number: Tel. 0151 153 09 888 or: Tel. 0175 150 15 68.