Srebrenica mothers presented with 'Heroines of the Century' award

Munira Subasic, chairwoman of the Srebrenica and Jepa Mothers Union, and the union's deputy chief, Kada Hotic, were presented with "Heroines of Century" award by the Municipality of Bayrampasa, Istanbul. Subasic said she and Hotic were invited to Istanbul by Atila Aydiner, mayor of Bayrampasa, as part of events to mark the World Women's Day on March 8 and they received the award at a ceremony which was also attended by the famous Turkish actor Kivanc Tatlitug, who has Bosnian origins. "This award encouraged us to search for justice and truth. Once again, we know that we are not alone. Turkish people know what we are doing. They know what our aim is and how we struggle and how we live," Subasic said. Subasic also said that the politics between Turkey and Bosnia-Herzegovina had changed for the better under Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Hotic, union's deputy head, said that she felt a serious responsibility when she first heard the word "century" in the award's title, stating, "women in this century showed that they are real heroines. We thank them for they saw our struggle to reveal the truth and justice after the war in Bosnia." Saying it was Turkey's responsibility to turn its face toward Bosnia, Hotic added, "Bosnia is left an orphan. Those who killed and raped us in Bosnia, said that they were killing and chopping up Turks and raping Turkish women. Serbian General Ratko Mladic said it was time to take revenge from the hooligans (the Turks) when he entered Srebrenica," she said.