Family members of the dead, representatives of non-governmental organizations, delegations from Republika Srpska and Serbia, marked the 32nd anniversary of the suffering of Serbs in central Podrinje and Birč with the message that no nation has an exclusive right to pain.
32 years have passed since the murder of 69 Serbs in the Bratunac area and 22 captured civilians and soldiers. Wreaths were laid at the Bratunac cemetery by members of the families of the dead, delegations from the Veterans' Organization of the Republic of Srpska and other non-governmental organizations stemming from the past war. During the commemoration at the Bratunac cemetery, many citizens carried photographs of the martyred Serbs.
"I lost my husband. 21 people from our family were killed that morning on St. Peter's Day. What can I tell you, it was difficult," says Nikolija Todorović from the village of Bjelovac through tears, who says that after that they had no choice but to go to Serbia.
Zara Filipović, whose husband was killed on her doorstep in December 1992, is also from Bjelovac near Bratunac.
"14. In December, the husband died in front of the house, just as he was going to the toilet. So they attacked early in the morning. I ran away. I was also wounded that day. You can't explain to anyone that fear that continues even today," says Zaga Filipović, whose husband was buried at the cemetery in Bratunac.
What hurts them the most, they say, is searching for the remains of their loved ones.
"There are still many families who are searching. It would be time to solve the issue of our missing ones. People are lying in sacks in the halls, it would be fair if they gave it to us. They always say there are no samples. There is an Institute in Banja Luka that can solve our DNA," says Milka Kovačić, from the Association of Missing Persons of Bratunac and Srebrenica.
"32 years, a crime without punishment"
This year, the program commemorating the suffering of over three thousand Serbs in the past war in Podrinje and Birč is being held under the title "32 years, a crime without punishment", which aims to appeal to judicial institutions to prosecute those responsible for war crimes against Serbs.
No one has yet been held accountable for the murders of Serbian civilians in this area. Former commander of the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Naser Orić, was acquitted before the Hague Tribunal in 2008. The indictment charged him with crimes committed against Serbs in Srebrenica from 1992 to 1995. He was arrested again in 2015 in Switzerland on a warrant from Serbia seeking his extradition. Five years ago, the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina acquitted Naser Orić and Sabahudin Muhić of the charges of killing three Serbian prisoners in the villages of Bratunac in 1992.
At the Memorial Cross in Bratunac, wreaths were laid by the political leadership of Republika Srpska, the Serbian delegation led by Prime Minister Miloš Vučević, and the Russian Ambassador to BiH Igor Kalabuhov.
From the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, there were no reactions from the officials of this entity. Some media qualified the placement of photos of the murdered people on the side of the road as a provocation ahead of the commemoration of the 29th anniversary of the genocide in Srebrenica.
None of the international officials attended the memorial service either this year or in previous years, who previously justified their absence by saying that soldiers were buried in the cemetery alongside civilians.
Porphyry: We bow before every victim equally
In his address after the memorial service, Patriarch Porfirije said that the peoples of this region must live in peace. He also referred to the adopted Resolution on Srebrenica, in the context of the confirmation of the crime.
"What will we do with the pain we feel today? Isn't the pain of every person, be he Christian, Muslim, agnostic or something else, a burden that equally tears every human soul. This is how I know that the same pain that hurts us is also felt by our neighbors and that our common denominator is sadness," said Patriarch Porfirij, emphasizing that this is precisely why he does not want to diminish the sacrifices of other nations.
"On the contrary. We bow equally before every victim because it is holy and worthy of prayer, whether it is Bosniak, Croatian or Serbian. However, we do not need anyone's written confirmation and verification for the truthfulness of our innocent victims, least of all the perpetrators of the crimes and their associates. The pain of the mothers of Bratunac does not need a written confirmation," said Patriarch Porfirije.
Vucevic: The beginning of spiritual renewal
The Prime Minister of Serbia, Miloš Vučević, recalled the recently adopted declaration on the protection of the national and political rights of the Serbian people, which, as he said, defines "common memory of the victims of the last war".
"It is important that we gather and remember. This is the beginning of our spiritual renewal", said Vučević from Bratunac.
Dodik: We will carry this luggage with us as a memory
The message from Bratunac was also sent by the President of the RS Milorad Dodik, who once again called on the judiciary of Bosnia and Herzegovina to prosecute those responsible for the crimes committed in these areas. He says that only Muslims received international victim verification, while Serbs and their victims remained unrecognized.
"But we must not remain without the memory of the victims. And that's why this gathering after that shameful Resolution in the UN, which we reject, is really important. To send a message. You can offer us all kinds of routes, including European ones, but be sure that we will carry this luggage with us as a memory and we will never forget. You killed us here. 3260 victims," said Dodik, asking if it was not enough that the entire political and military leadership of the RS had been convicted of crimes.
"What do you want now? Who else do you want? What's the problem. We said, yes, a crime was committed against Muslims in Srebrenica. And why is it difficult for you to say that it was a serious crime against the Serbs of Podrinje. Are we looking for something that is not true. Or do you want us to accept only what is your truth. We cannot build coexistence on that reconciliation," said Dodik, once again giving Bosnia and Herzegovina the character of an impossible state.
Bonus video:
