SURVIVING SERBS: IT GETS HARDER EACH TIME

BRADINA, MAY 25 /SRNA/ - “Each time, it gets harder to come to Bradina,” said Zdravka Kukričar, née Mrkajić, who lost her entire family in this village near Konjic, killed by members of Croat and Muslim forces during the May 25, 1992 attack.

“I lost my entire family, relatives, godparents, and friends. As you can see, even the homesteads have disappeared. Every time I come here, I cry the entire way. I visit once or twice a year to pay respects at the graves,” Kukričar said. Slobodan Mrkajić emphasized that what happened in this place must never be forgotten, and all victims must be acknowledged. Zoran Đorđić, a witness to the war crime, said that 48 civilians were killed in Bradina on May 25 and 26, the youngest victim being Njegoš Koprivica, and the oldest Milan Kuljanin, aged 91. “What happened here was three times worse than what the Ustashas did in Jasenovac. They poured gasoline on people’s legs and set them on fire. They shoved heated wire through my cousin Mirko Đorđić’s throat and pulled it back through his mouth,” said Đorđić. He explained that one detention camp was located in the elementary school, where women and children were held, while another was in a hall in Čelebići, where the men were imprisoned. He noted that 28 rapes outside the camps and 11 within them were reported. Đorđić also recalled that on July 12, Muslim-Croat forces threw a grenade into the hall in Čelebići, killing 13 detained Serbs. He stated that the case concerning crimes in this area is being handled by the “unconstitutional” Court of BiH under the file name Esad Ramić et al. Konjic parish priest Branimir Borovčanin told the press that only two people currently live in Bradina, but hope must not be lost that this number will grow. He added that Konjic is a beautiful place and that about 130 Orthodox Christians have permanent residence there. Bradina is one of the largest execution sites of the Serb people, who were brutally killed and expelled from their homes. In the bloody onslaught of Muslim-Croat armed forces, 48 Serb civilians were killed in Bradina over three days, and many more were captured and taken to camps, where 22 more died from torture. Five people are still missing. The remaining Serb population was expelled from their homes, their property looted, and the Church of the Ascension was burned and demolished. The memories of this event are still painful for the survivors, who return to Bradina every year on this day to light candles for their tragically lost family members. A total of six houses have been rebuilt in the village, but they have been looted multiple times since.