"I was born happy, and despite everything that has happened, I believe I will die happy," says Jasmin Dajic, a Bosnian War survivor who will be sharing his past in Carlisle to mark Srebrenica Memorial Day 2024.

Jasmin was born in September 1979 in a small, remote village in central Bosnia. He was only 12 years old when the Bosnian War erupted in May 1992, leading to years of intense fighting and forced displacement of Bosnian Muslims and ultimately a life-changing incident for Jasmin.

In July 1995, a genocidal massacre took place in the Bosnian town of Srebrenica, resulting in the death of around 8,000 Bosnian Muslims.

It remains the single largest mass murder on European soil since World War Two.

“As a 13-year-old, you know nothing about it,” Jasmin said.

“You are with your friends, you make fun of it even the sound of grenades around you. You find fun in it because it's something odd and something different.”

In 1994, a year before the massacre, Jasmin was knocked unconscious for seven days after touching a live electricity cable while collecting firewood leaving him with lifelong disabilities. 

“There was no electricity in the town for ordinary people,” he said.

"The only way to cook and heat up your home was by a traditional fire.

"I went to a nearby forest where I would get branches regularly.

"On an ordinary day, when I was picking up wood, the overhead electricity cable, which had been established by UN soldiers for themselves and connected to a nearby mill, was hanging down the tree after being hit by explosives," he said. 

Thankfully, humanitarian organisations helped support his recovery and one key encounter led to a game-changing opportunity.

"I stayed with them and joked, I made them laugh – they said they would come back in three months again to see me, I joked they should bring me an arm back from England,” he said.

Little did he know, they would actually take him to England to get one.

“Speaking today, I made the best decision I possibly could,” he said.

Now living in Manchester, married and with two children,  Jasmin emphasised the importance of sharing his story to prevent similar atrocities from occurring elsewhere.

"We are one nation divided by borders and we need to talk about it so it doesn’t happen again," he said.

"No one should suffer anywhere."

The theme for this year’s Srebrenica Memorial Day 2024 event is ‘I Am Because You Are’.

It will underline the importance of standing up against those who try to divide us and standing up for each other against hatred, discrimination, harassment, or prejudice. 

The event, free to the public, will be held at the Civic Centre, Carlisle, on Monday, July 8, starting at 11 am.