He Survived A Mass Execution At 17. Now He's Fighting Disinformation And Denialism.

SREBRENICA, Bosnia — Nedzad Avdic stood connected a gravel plateau pinch 4 men and boys pinch their hands tied down their backs, preparing for death. Just 17, Avdic had been captured by Bosnian Serb forces days earlier. Now, he stood yards from an execution squad.

Avdic said he heard shots, felt crisp symptom successful his correct broadside and correct limb and blacked out. When he woke up, much prisoners were being lined up for execution. When nan mini motortruck that brought him to nan tract drove away, Avdic and different wounded man escaped successful nan darkness. After stepping to nan woods for days, they crossed into Muslim-controlled cardinal Bosnia.

Last week, Avdic recounted his acquisition to members of nan German parliament astatine an arena successful Berlin marking nan 30th day of nan autumn of nan United Nations-protected “safe area” of Srebrenica. Two world courts person ruled that Bosnian Serbs’ systematic sidesplitting of antheral Bosnian Muslim prisoners — astatine slightest 7,000 successful full — was nan first genocide successful Europe since World War II.

The pursuing day, members of nan far-right Alternative for Germany, aliases AfD party, based on successful parliament that nan wide killings did not represent genocide. “The Serbs changeable men there, but mostly spared women and children,” Alexander Wolf said successful a speech.

A 2nd AfD member, Martin Sichert, invoked a conspiracy theory, informing that Muslims were waging a “birth jihad” successful Germany, a reference to Muslim immigrants’ someday outnumbering Germans. “Srebrenica reminds america to extremity multiculturalism earlier it’s excessively late,” Sichert warned.

As disinformation spreads online, denialism astir warfare crimes — some past and ongoing— is increasing progressively communal worldwide, experts warn. From existent conflicts successful Ukraine, Israel and Gaza to past atrocities successful Syria, Bosnia and Rwanda, arsenic good arsenic nan Holocaust, basal facts are now disputed aliases dismissed.

Denialism is proving politically profitable, arsenic well. In February, nan AfD won nan 2nd astir seats successful Germany’s parliament, nan champion showing by a far-right statement since World War II. In Bosnia, a section Serb leader, Milorad Dodik, has gained support by spreading conspiracy theories astir Srebrenica, calling it “an arranged tragedy.” He dismisses nan recognition of 6,981 victims — portion of nan largest DNA recognition task successful history— arsenic a hoax.

Dodik’s agency and nan AfD did not instantly respond to requests for remark aliases impervious of their claims.

At a convention successful Srebrenica marking nan 30th day of nan wide killings here, nan heads of nan Kigali Genocide Memorial successful Rwanda and nan Auschwitz-Birkenau and Stutthof attraction campy museums successful Poland warned that spreading lies online astir warfare crimes has besides go financially profitable. War crimes denialism generates truthful overmuch postulation online that making money — not governmental aliases ideological summation — appears to motivate immoderate of its purveyors.

At 1 point, nan board discussed whether amended influencers mightiness help, and respective of them agreed that they could.

Srebrenica massacre subsister Nedzad Avdic touches nan engraved names of those killed successful nan massacre and buried astatine nan Memorial Center successful nan Srebrenica suburb of Potočari, Bosnia, successful 2015.Amel Emric / AP file

Avdic is wished to beryllium 1 of them. As denialism spreads, he is much wished than ever to usage what is near of his life to speak for nan men and boys who died beside him connected that gravel 30 years ago.

“It’s becoming much fierce time by day,” he said, referring to denialism. “You person to cognize that we are each overseas bodies connected this Earth, and we will each evaporate people sooner aliases later.”

A U.N.-protected ‘safe area’

I first met Avdic 30 years agone covering nan warfare successful Bosnia arsenic a newsman for The Christian Science Monitor. After nan autumn of Srebrenica, rumors dispersed that Bosnian Muslim men were describing wide executions. Avdic, past a shell-shocked teen whose begetter was later recovered successful a wide grave, was 1 of nine men who told me they had survived wide executions. When I later visited nan gravel plateau beside an earthen reservoir successful nan colony of Petkovci, I recovered two quality femurs.

Avdic and his begetter were among nan astir 10,000 Bosnian Muslim men who fled Srebrenica connected ft erstwhile Bosnian Serb forces attacked successful July 1995. The surrounded municipality had been declared an internationally protected “safe area,” but nan United States, Europe and 600 Dutch UN peacekeepers did small to protect it

Women, children and aged men took refuge astatine a ample artillery mill that Dutch peacekeepers had turned into their main base. And men, astir of them unarmed, group disconnected done nan woods connected a 60-mile trek to Muslim-controlled cardinal Bosnia.

When Serb forces attacked nan column, Avdic and his begetter were separated successful nan chaos. “I mislaid him,” Avdic recalled. “I mislaid him immediately.” He continued stepping pinch strangers but was yet captured. Two days later, he and different men were taken to nan gravel plateau, and nan executions began.

Needing to speak

For nan adjacent 12 years, Avdic testified astatine warfare crimes tests astir nan executions nether a pseudonym and lived acold from Srebrenica, fearing for his safety. In 2007, he returned to Srebrenica, his hometown. He and different Bosnian Muslims felt a work to return to nan area and sphere its Muslim community. Avdic, who had grown up successful a colony extracurricular nan municipality and besides mislaid 4 uncles and 3 cousins successful nan killings, recovered being successful Srebrenica comforting.

“I person little nightmares,” he said, shrugging his shoulders. “I cannot explicate it.”

In 2014, erstwhile he visited nan execution tract during an arena pinch mothers of nan victims, he was filled pinch a desire to speak publically astir nan wide sidesplitting he survived.

“When I came to nan place, thing forced maine to opportunity something; I felt a beardown request to talk,” he said. “Words started to flow, thing stronger than me.”

Nedzad Avdic, right, and his wife, Elvisa, successful Srebrenica, Bosnia, connected July 12.David Rohde / NBC News

He met his wife, Elvisa, a Bosnian Muslim subsister whose uncle and relative besides died successful nan executions, successful Srebrenica successful 2008. The pursuing year, they married. Today, Nedzad useful arsenic a head astatine a institution successful Srebrenica that produces parts for luxury car interiors. Elvisa useful astatine a section meteorological station. They person 3 daughters who be section schoolhouse alongside Serb children. Serbs and Muslims coexist but mostly don’t talk nan war.

“Hatred destroys, first of all, those who hate,” Avdic said.

In caller years, Avdic has fixed dozens of speeches astir nan massacres successful aggregate countries and called for nan protection of civilians successful Ukraine and Syria. Speaking astir Srebrenica is difficult but cathartic. “It was my prime to spell to Berlin,” he said. “It is not thing that I wish. It is emotional, and it is difficult for me.”

Local Bosnian Muslims person transformed nan cavernous erstwhile car artillery mill that Dutch U.N. peacekeepers utilized arsenic a guidelines into a depository documenting nan genocide. Across nan street, nan headstones of nan thousands of Muslim men and boys killed successful nan massacres screen a lush greenish section and hillside.

In caller years, though, Muslims person slow near Srebrenica, galore of them citing economical and information concerns. Once a majority-Muslim town, Srebrenica is now astir half-Serb, half-Muslim.

Elvisa, Avdic’s wife, said she worries astir her children’s future.

“I was 13 years aged past successful 1995. My girl is now 13 years old,” she said. “Now, I’m much affectional astir that time. When we are older, we attraction much and we consciousness more.”

“Our grandma was killed,” she added. “They trim her throat.”

Denial and threats

Avdic said provocations still happen, including erstwhile a section leader erstwhile played Serb nationalist songs to taunt Muslim residents.

“He will dice pinch his evil,” Avdic said of nan priest.

As denialism spreads, Serb nationalists person grown much defiant. In adjacent towns, Avdic is sometimes recognized and mocked by them.

“I’m not acrophobic of them,” he said, though he acknowledged nan danger. “You ne'er cognize what could happen, because I’m a witness.”

Avdic and his woman are torn. Leaving Srebrenica mightiness beryllium amended for their children, but Avdic believes it is his work to raise his family present and speak for nan men and boys who died beside him.

“I will dice proud,” he said. “And I judge my children will beryllium proud they were calved here.”