Exclusive video: Angelina Jolie shares a moving message to mark 25th anniversary of Srebrenica massacre
This weekend marks the 25th anniversary of the Srebrenica massacre; the genocide of over 8,000 Bosniaks around the town of Srebrenica during the Bosnian War in July 1995.
In memory of those who lost their lives - primarily boys and men - and the loved ones left behind, Angelina Jolie has recorded a moving message of hope for the young people who live in the region.
"I’m thinking today of the mothers of Srebrenica, and all the other survivors, whose husbands, brothers, sons were murdered in the genocide 25 years ago," she says.
"I think too of the victims, in particular the children, who were denied the chance to live and love and have families of their own. It is a loss beyond words."
Jolie, who is an honorary citizen of Sarajevo and a recipient of the Heart of Sarajevo award - presented to her for "active engagement in the complexities of the real world" back in 2011 - goes on to say that she wants to address the young people who live in the region and beyond.
"You were not born when the Srebrenica massacre happened. You might wonder what it has to do with you. But the kind of hatred that led to Srebrenica still exists, as you know," she says.
"It lives on wherever people find excuses to single out others and deny them their rights as equal human beings. You may know this better than me.
"Srebrenica was a crime that did not happen overnight. It could have been prevented, even down to the last few hours."
She finishes her message by calling for those listening to reject discrimination and propaganda, and to share a vision of a world based on equal rights.
"Your generation can resist this, and it already is. This gives me hope," she says.
"That is the best way we can honour the families we remember today; and the victims of persecution everywhere, with whom we can be proud to stand."
Jolie chose the Bosnian War as the setting for her first film as a director, In the Land of Blood and Honey, which was released in December 2011.
She has also visited Bosnia as a goodwill ambassador for the UN's refugee agency UNHCR and has funded the construction of several houses for returnees in eastern Bosnia.
Watch her video message in full, above.
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