ŽUPLJANIN: WE MUST NOT TURN A BLIND EYE TO SUFFERING OF SERBS IN PODRINJE

BANJA LUKA, JULY 2,/SRNA/ – Slobodan Župljanin, President of the Organization of Senior Officers of the Republika Srpska Army, stated that one must not turn a blind eye to the suffering of Serbs in Podrinje, and emphasized that Serbs must continually point out this injustice and demonstrate that no one can ever forbid them from honoring and remembering Serb victims.

Župljanin stressed that no one but the Serbs themselves want to know or hear about this level of suffering and sacrifice, pointing out that for foreign political elites, only Srebrenica exists. “For them, there is no empathy, neither among the ‘numerous global and international humanitarians,’ nor among others in BiH, and worst of all, there is no interest in the BiH judiciary, which should treat all victims equally, regardless of their ethnicity,” Župljanin told SRNA, ahead of the upcoming commemoration marking 33 years since the suffering of Serbs in Podrinje. Župljanin pointed out that only the Serb people in BiH are denied the right to commemorate their tragedies, which is why it is important to spread the truth about these wartime events not only within BiH, but throughout the world, and to pass this knowledge on to younger generations. He emphasized that the Serbs, unlike all others in BiH, have respected every victim, regardless of nationality, and that they in no way hinder anyone who commemorates their own victims in any manner. He said that this year again the Serb people must highlight the injustice, show that Serb victims will never and must never be forgotten, and that no one can ever forbid their remembrance. “It is important that Serbs show both themselves and others that Serb victims must be respected. Anyone who wants peace and coexistence must accept that. One cannot turn a blind eye to the suffering of Serbs in Podrinje and only speak of the suffering of Bosniaks in Srebrenica,” Župljanin emphasized. He stressed that all victims must have equal rights to respect, and that Serbs do not oppose paying respects to the victims of other peoples, but demand full respect and justice for Serb victims. “This is the only path to lasting peace, coexistence, and ultimately the only path for BiH to survive as defined by the international treaty – the Dayton Peace Accords. Without that, we will continue to go in circles within this vicious cycle of selective justice and empathy. The hatred coming from one side is the most dangerous malignant tissue of BiH, which will eventually destroy BiH itself,” Župljanin warned. He noted that for the future the Serb people deserve, unity and gathering, respect for their own history, nurturing the culture of remembrance, and preserving Republika Srpska are necessary. Župljanin underlined that Republika Srpska and the Serb people must always remember and never forget all those who laid down their lives in its foundations, giving everything they could, and that especially the memories of mass Serb sufferings, such as in Podrinje, must be commemorated with dignity. “Otherwise, we will not have the future that the Serb people deserve. This is yet another reason why we must unconditionally preserve Republika Srpska, its institutions, and its property,” Župljanin concluded. On Saturday, July 5, Bratunac will mark 33 years since the crimes against 3,267 Serbs from central Podrinje. The all-day program under the slogan “Crime Without Punishment” will begin with the Holy Hierarchal Liturgy to be served by His Holiness Serbian Patriarch Porfirije in the Church of the Assumption of the Most Holy Mother of God. The commemoration honors all Serb victims from central Podrinje and Birač in the Defensive-Patriotic War and is organized to mark 33 years since the great suffering of Serbs on Petrovdan 1992 in villages around Srebrenica and Bratunac, when 69 were killed and 22 soldiers and civilians captured, none of whom survived. During the Defensive-Patriotic War, Muslim units from Srebrenica most often attacked Serb villages on major Orthodox holidays, and on Petrovdan in 1992 they attacked the villages of Zalazje, Biljača, Sase, and Zagoni, killing everyone they could, looting, and burning Serb property.