A HARROWING account from a survivor of a Bosnian concentration camp was heard in Cwmbran this week as part of a series of events to commemorate Holocaust Memorial Day.

Torfaen is hosting Holocaust Memorial Day in Wales this year and has organised a series of events in the run up to the official memorial day on Friday.

This year the week has the theme 'Speak Up, Speak Out' and was launched at a packed Cwmbran Stadium on Monday night.

Kemal Pervanic is a survivor of the Omarska concentration camp and gave a moving account of what he witnessed.

The camp was set up by Bosnian Serb forces during the Bosnian War and was uncovered in 1992.

Hundreds of people attended the launch including First Minister Carwyn Jones and Torfaen MP Paul Murphy.

Torfaen council leader councillor Bob Wellington was moved to tears when he gave his own personal recollections of visiting Auschwitz and also read the poem ‘First They Came’ by Pastor Martin Niemoller.

He said: "Holocaust Memorial Day is a time for us all to reflect and to remember the victims of Nazi persecution and murder and subsequent genocides in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur.”

The launch also saw the unveiling of a specially commissioned painting by local artists Eileen Mills-Long and Janita Tapp to commemorate the event.

There was also an exhibition of community art, a photographic exhibition of Auschwitz by Mark Saunders and music by the Nidus Children’s Choir and the Gwent Music Support Youth Orchestra.

Mr Pervanic spoke at a service in Pontypool last night and will address a service at Blaenavon Workmen's Hall tonight at 7pm.

A multi-faith service of commemoration will be held on Friday at St Gabriel's Church in Cwmbran at 10am.

For information about the events, call 01495 742775.