ANĐELKOVIĆ: A NATION THAT FORGETS ITS VICTIMS INVITES NEW CRIMES

BELGRADE, JULY 2 /SRNA/ – The gathering "Crime Without Punishment", which will be held on Saturday, July 5, in Bratunac to mark 33 years since the suffering of Serbs in central Podrinje and Birač, is extremely important for the national culture of remembrance because it clearly conveys that Serbs were the true victims, believes political analyst and historian Dragomir Anđelković.

"A nation that forgets its victims invites new crimes," Anđelković told SRNA. He pointed out that Serbs, for the sake of Yugoslavism and reconciliation, very often overlooked crimes committed against members of the Serbian people. "As a reward for that, we received new crimes. That is why it is very important that Serb sufferings and sites such as Bratunac and others in Republika Srpska, where crimes against Serbs were committed, are now systematically commemorated," Anđelković assessed. He emphasized that this is important because in doing so, Serbs send a message both to themselves and to the world. "We are clearly saying that we were the real victims, while those who were the executioners falsely present themselves as victims," Anđelković explained. According to him, in this way national energy is raised, along with the readiness to resist new assaults on the nation’s survival. "We are reminding the entire world that the criminals have not been prosecuted, even though they committed crimes against Serbs," Anđelković said. He pointed out that Serbs are persecuted even for alleged crimes, while the real criminals who massacred Serb civilians have not been held accountable. "That is why it is very important for this to be a point of mobilization for us, so that we insist much more seriously on the responsibility of those who committed these crimes," Anđelković emphasized. On Saturday, July 5, Bratunac will mark 33 years since the suffering of the Serb people in central Podrinje and Birač, where 3,267 Serbs were killed during the past war. That day will be declared a Day of Mourning in Republika Srpska, and the memorial service for the victims will be led by Patriarch Porfirije, with the attendance of the highest officials of Republika Srpska and Serbia.