A raising 1000 years of history in my opinion. This is the awakening of the mosque that was opened by sultan for the rights of muslims and islam once again. Also on the day remembering europes worst atrocity since the 2nd world war d. W. Speaks with survivors of the shrub and its a massacre when they put 2 tanks facing each other and people had to walk for then they started charging people they took them and then shot them right in front of me they were like family to me. A turkish president obama has announced at istanbuls world famous higher saffir will be reopened for muslim worship hes declaration about his countrys most popular Tourist Destination a comes after his highest Administrative Court revoked its status as a museum clearing the way for it to be turned back into a mosque. Dozens of people were gathered outside the building to celebrate a built in the 6th century as an Orthodox Christian church its now a unesco World Heritage site greece and the Russian Orthodox church strongly criticized the change while the United States and he also expressed regret at the alterations of its status. Empires have fallen religions have been replaced the city itself has changed names but the dome of the high yes the fia has restored his old built in the 6th century as a byzantine church it was for centuries the Worlds Largest christian cathedral almost a millennium later it was converted into an islamic mosque during the autumn an empire. But in the 1930 s. It was turned into a museum under the founder of the modern turkish republic ataturk a symbol of the new secular state inclusive of all religions since then it has been a Meeting Point of many faiths but held by none a place where popes and president s have come to pay their respects and marvel at the architecture. The religion is a tool for president red chip type of on he has overseen prayers in the museum and raised its status at local election rallies. I also feel a sense over the interview as you know they converted the higher sophia from a mosque to a museum a while ago. Now we hope to be able to call that a mosque again after the election. I. Just islamic groups have fought to pray at the highest the fear angering neighboring greece which says the building is part of its author ducks christian history unesco has warned turkey its conversion to a mosque could violate the world Cultural Heritage convention. A flashpoint of religious and National Struggle the highest the fear will remain an icon of istanbul. Lets take a closer look at this with the dead retard back whos written extensively on turkey and southeast to europe he joins us from a chapel hill in the u. S. Where hes currently a Research Fellow at the university of North Carolina welcome to the day the court today decided to base the 934 cabinet decision that ended the highest affairs use as a mosque and defined it as a museum did not comply with the law why do you think it took 86 years for anyone to notice. Well the show has been making grants in turkish politics for a long time indeed its been a call so never for slight miss but also for writing nationalists in turkey. For whatever reason theyre going to get if a secure does this is a long time ago decided its now a good time to get it through the course system and by who should have swartz holes this is totally independent really by the court is clearly in the political influence and i think the only plausible explanation of this short term political calculations. To take issue connelly is not doing great cope with a team this is much a challenge to think its elsewhere distant bowling balls its the president s. Political standing but i am afraid it will be a fish will come of it will make a difference with all due to. This it does for the government global longer to why you see this as a distraction this is a short term political win for the president absolutely but it will be costly for tickets else. Because of the financial titians it breached but also because it puts a mental to the kind of rants to keep but also stumble the municipality if someone has been nurturing for a long long time is a Meeting Point across the Political Center a city. Kind of who leads it at the cross was ruled of several historical regions and its the connections to the past. That its that its a decision of the goals right. Thinking steam its projected by turkey but also in the city itself i saw you that you tweeted and itll. Face one wide why did you say that you think this will provoke islamophobia. Its the usual simply gains plea to our weve seen it over many many issues for example with their median jealous a issue. He likes to raise hell to rally supporters because. He strikes. European leaders many of yours might remember the kind of swipes he directed your leadership over there when its not espoused nazi past which then of course triggers a backlash on the other side. Which then the president himself uses the device to drum up support for turkey nobody likes us the world is against us its a standard technique you see with many old crafts didnt. Big playing the same game in russia occasionally its all so expect there will be this dont know me again but again i dont think thats the kind of issue that only mates the citizens its local they killed of the only basis that saw this effect be ephemeral i mean im intrigued by the how do you forgive me for interrupting of the point you your you made that things very interesting you say this is an issue that has been kicking around in politics for decades this is not an issue that generally exercises the public in turkey and certainly outside im thinking that most of the public probably wouldnt pass along as they can still get to go and see which the president seems to indicate but that will still be the case so nobody wins except except president s on a short term basis but he still got problems to deal with this does not sound like the actions of a calculating votes winner but we have seen him to be. Oh you know but. Its a shorter political game and by we spoke to said well winning i guess there will be opportunity for others the populist the nationalists the trees but also in western europe to seize on this issue i wouldnt be surprised to see discussed in the European Parliament by the way going back to might we of this political football board sites but again. Maybe experts myself included we were wrong because we assumed luck would go all over the edge that he will be just played this game of small a mirror promising to speak for supporters that hew to the status book will go before while well he did well and he probably thinks that the course it was this will be that serious but he might well have a point but i think again the mits. That is the true mental. Doesnt play well. For talking to thank you for joining us that dimitar better after. This weekend marks the 25th anniversary of the worst a war crime on your pain soil since the 2nd world war in july 9095 joined the bosnia war more than 8000 muslim men and boys were killed by bosnian serb forces in the town of stripper nights which were supposed to be a safe haven and under the protection of u. N. Troops the bodies were disposed off in mass graves in an attempt to cover up the slaughter and it happened in europes backyard as dutch peacekeeper stood back at a Memorial Ceremony in the European Parliament today the e. U. Acknowledged its own failure. Today we are remembering one of the darkest days of modern european history and one of the most tragic crimes committed in europe since the 2nd world war europe has not forgotten what happened in 70. And our own responsibility for not being able to prevent and stop the genocide instead going to. Europe failed and we are faced with our shame commemoration events are also being held in bosnia and herzegovina every year on the 11th of july our relatives of the most recently identified victims gathered for a funeral has been speaking with 2 survivors of the massacre here in. The center froze as takes her back to a pharma peaceful life in the hills of spread parineeta until the age of 45 so little had a happy life but then yugoslavia fell apart Serbian Forces shelled the town and tried to stuff its residents out now i go to. The mornings where the worst every day is not even one am i had children in front of my house begging him they wanted something to eat but we didnt have anything ourselves nothing yet the ones who are going blood not yet to neighbors ishta. Between 93 and 95 the fighting would have been so forces and bosnian militias intensified the serbs were trying to force the population out of their homes to make their opponents surrender. In july 1005 generac go a lot of later convicted of war crimes and genocide and. The separation between life and death began. And said get them abroad used them when they put 2 tanks facing each other and people had to walk through then they started charging people old women and children on one side young women on the other fort and entertainment at night. The men were taken away even little boys from the age of 8 even 90 year olds. Was carted nickerson really devastated god you know study on a soup to watch telly. An estimated 8000 men and boys were shot in the following days. Lost his father and spread parineeta he often imagines his final moments before he got shot. Did he feel hungry did he feel 1st. If he was conscious did he think about us his family did anything give him strength were going to pass. In 2005 to remains of his father were dented 5 in 3 different mass graves thanks to d. N. A. Tests before the burial he insisted on seeing them and recognized his father skull. When you got arrested him when remains are found they are often already charred and decomposed. But that makes the teeth stand out more in contrast and i recognized my father smiled. For my new father. In july 95 women and children left red brain needs are under the eyes of Serbian Forces. Delish ramsey was amongst them but on her way out she would know something she will never be able to forget. I see him put them some stories about him friends of mine try to escape but the soldiers caught them and drag them back out to the street they wanted everyone to see what happens to those who try to escape they took them and then shot them right in front of me they were like family to me im still modest about not so many believe me she had family. Just like demi kludge she lives with trauma to this day but still the smell of roses lives on and reminds her of a farm the peaceful youth insearch represented. A more borne of a rest with this president of remembering srebrenica thats a British Charity raises awareness about the bosnian genocide and tries to bring communities together using the Lessons Learned from this trip and its amassed a welcome to day doubly people will say this was like a terrible thing that happened nearly a lifetime ago so why is it important to remember. Well 1st of all its 25 years ago it wasnt yesterday but it was not very long ago it was on european soil it was the most dreadful genocide it was the most awful event in europe since the 2nd world war and the holocaust it is something truly awful it is a stain on your ups history and its very important that we learn the lessons of the past because thats the only way we stop these things happening in the future so its very important that british shoulder and british its our education about this and indeed the population at large and thats what were seeking to do so that we can ensure that nothing like this happens again. Thank set that. I mean the word the word in the sense of and i think we all agree with him as a individual level we say the sense and we say about the horrors of war but when we look around the world and when you look around the news the lessons really arent being learned the the war the world is still full of internal war and strife you look at me and my you look at syria you look at libya you look at the yemen we are still fighting each other those lessons are not being. Looked. Well i say 2 things that i mean 1st 1st of all were not talking about a war here were talking about genocide and that isnt to minimize some of the dreadful things that are happening around the world at the moment in any way but we dont learn the lessons of the past we dont stop these things happening in the future by simply saying look these things always happen theyre going to carry on happening we have to fight back as as an International Community and thats what remembering stroger nice and does this weekend memorial weekend britain have been over 1000 defense up and down the country throughout the 4 parts of the country in town holes in community is in Schools Police stations small acts that may look small and insignificant in themselves but when you look at them building up it just shows that every action matters and that is the the title and the moral of this particular week that weve adopted and considering that were in lockdown because of the virus to the chief that in their level of awareness on the level of resistance to this i think thats something that we should be proud of and im not being complacent about it theres still a lot to do and that we dont stop these things happening if we sit by do nothing and then the history the the narrative the way we remember these events thats important as well its an explain to us why its important important in your guy what went on in bosnia as genocide for instance. Well its very important because it is one community against another i Mean Community is that the looked on the surface identical you couldnt tell. A search of an. Alien. From a Bosnian Muslim on the face of it and it was only when people were identified as of a different religion a number identified for slaughter that that difference became apparent and that is why it is absolutely truly awful renders hannahs crimes that we have to make sure never happen again tomorrow of course we have the National Commemoration happening at 7 oclock and people can view that by remembering struggle its a twitter handle or on facebook or on you tube and i hope they do hundreds of thousands of people will be looking at this and learning from this because that is it cruel usually important and the most significant event of my political. That is it using the mothers of 72. 00 who showed such incredible grace and courage and briefly how much of a shadow do those events of 25 years ago still cast over Politics Today in bosnia and herzegovina in the governor. An immense amount they they cost a very long shadows youd expect i dont want to minimize some of the progress that has been because undoubtedly there has been of course the house but of course its also true that these will cost a very long shadow people who lived through that and people who didnt live through that that theyre going to be massively affected and as is true of the Bosnian Community bosnian britons still feel this immensely those who lived through it and then came to our country and 2nd generation survivors of course it will do so but the way we help is to ensure that the lessons learnt for the future thats the only thing we can do we cant stop it happening in the past we call jump backwards and stop it happening but what we can do is make sure these lessons are learned for the future and thats why the National Commemoration tomorrow the culmination of memorial we kids is so crucially important to sudden a clock so i would urge people to to listen and watch watch whats happening on remembering to try but its a twitter handle facebook or on you tube ok thank you for joining us born of Everest National leisure remembering a strawman its. Has been said that press freedom in the philippines has been down to heavy blow and lawmakers there have refused to renew the broadcast license of the countrys largest t. V. Network and the s. T. B. Had the station has repeatedly classed with president bob brink of just over its Critical Coverage of his government. Is now bob from filipino airwaves. She didnt. Want you to buy. A b. S. Save again had already ceased broadcasting since my 5 after their franchise law since expired and were a whiting a decision from the house of representatives to renew it but off the 13 hearings in the palm and the application was rejected by lawmakers who are overwhelmingly allied with president rhodri go to target. It means a Network Normally viewed by millions is now permanently off the air. The organizations president says hes deeply hurt by the decision all Rights Groups say is the latest assault on press freedom in a country growing more authoritarian. Accused. President to target a has attacked abs a. B. N. In the past claiming the network is biased against him but legislators say the decision had nothing to do with the president s attacks claiming a. B. S. A. B. N. Was involved in unfair tax avoidance schemes the network has denied these allegations. Now as 11000 media workers are plunged into job insecurity the president of a. B. S. A. B. N. Hopes the company can find other ways to broadcast news to the public. And go to the polls this week to choose the next president in a Runoff Election for the highly Divisive Campaign incumbent to present. Backed by the governing conservative populist party has been criticized side and outside the country or campaigning against al g. B. T. Rights his opponent the war so only enter the race in may hes more liberal in pro and has found himself having to defend his views on l g b t rights so they suggest a neck and neck contest between 2 competing visions of polands future. Conservative versus liberal big city versus countryside poland is divided russia is a community of 8000 people in central poland most here work in agriculture the town is a bastion of support for incumbent pre