26th anniversary of NATO bombing of Murin marked: "Some would like us to forget the victims, their plan failed"

The anniversary of the deaths of six civilians in Murin, during the NATO bombing of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY) 26 years ago, was marked today in Murin.

Of the six victims, three were children, and eight people were wounded.

A NATO missile attack destroyed a bridge in the center of the town, and numerous buildings were damaged in the unannounced bombing of the town.

The liturgy for the victims was served by Bishop Metodije of Budimlje-Niksic with the clergy, and the commemoration was attended, in addition to family members and fellow citizens, by the President of the Parliament of Montenegro Andrija Mandić, Deputy Prime Minister of Montenegro Milun Zogović, Minister of Sports and Youth Dragoslav Šćekić, Vice President of the Parliament Boris Pejović, Serbian Ambassador to Montenegro Nebojša Rodić, presidents of the Municipalities of Berane, Plav and Nikšić, Đole Lutovac, Nihad Canović and Marko Kovačević, leader of Prava Crne Gora Marko Milačić, president of the extra-parliamentary Free Montenegro Vladislav Dajković, president of the non-governmental association "Štrpci - Against Forgetfulness" Demir Ličina and others.

Bojan Komatina, the grandson of one of the victims in Murin, said that we must not forget the Murin victims, as some would like.

"Even today, I am certain that their plan has failed, and that the more they impose that narrative on us, the more the fight, the more stubbornness and defiance flare up within us, and that we will never forget Miroslav, Julija, Olivera, Vukić, or Manojl. We will not forget Jovan Otašević, who is from here and who also suffered from NATO bombs in our sacred Kosovo and Metohija," said Komatina.

He recalled the events between the two commemorations, namely the adoption of the Law on Veterans' Protection, which for the first time in the laws of Montenegro provided for the institute of civilian victims of war, where for the first time these victims were recognized as victims of crime, and the second event was the Government of Montenegro adopting a decision on compensation for the families of the victims.

"What remains is for the Special State Prosecutor's Office (SDT) to prosecute this crime, and to include it in the reinvestigation of war crimes. Unfortunately, this has not been the case so far, so on this occasion we call on state institutions to treat this case as victims of war crimes, and to at least try to bring those who ordered this bombing to justice, or at least those who informed the then republican authorities that Murino would be bombed, and if they kept quiet about it, to bring those people to justice as well," said Komatina.