JULY 4 COMMEMORATION FOR SERBS KILLED IN BIRAČ

BRATUNAC, MARCH 5 /SRNA/ – A memorial service and tribute for 3,267 fallen Serb civilians and soldiers from the Birač region will be held in Bratunac on July 4, it was concluded today at the first meeting this year of the Organizing Committee for marking the remembrance of the suffering of Serbs from the Middle Podrinje area.

This continues the tradition of holding a memorial service on the first Saturday of July for the repose of the souls of the fallen and paying tribute to all Serb victims from this region. Bratunac Mayor Lazar Prodanović said that the director of the newly established Memorial Center for the Birač region in Bratunac will also be involved in the organization and that preparatory works for the construction of a central memorial monument for the Serbs killed in this region are expected to begin by July. “Preserving the culture of remembrance and paying tribute to those who were killed is our duty and our gratitude to them, proof that we do not forget them and that we pass this on to our younger generations,” Prodanović reminded. Prodanović stressed that it must be insisted that those responsible for crimes against Serbs be prosecuted and that the BiH judiciary demonstrate through concrete actions that it treats all victims equally by prosecuting perpetrators from all nations, which, in the case of the Middle Podrinje area, has not been done so far. He pointed out that it is important for the commemoration to be dignified, and that it is particularly important for the Government of Republika Srpska and the Serb Orthodox Church to be involved in the organization and support. “Support from Serbia is also expected, as in previous years,” Prodanović noted. The meeting, chaired by Prodanović, was attended by Assistant Minister of Labor and Veteran and Disability Protection Nebojša Vidaković, mayors and representatives of all local communities from the region, representatives of the Serb Orthodox Church, the Interior Ministry, and republican, regional and local organizations and associations formed during the war. The President of the Republika Srpska Organization of Families of Captured and Fallen Soldiers and Missing Civilians Isidora Graorac said that in this way they are once again sending a message to the international community and the BiH judiciary that Serbs also suffered during the last war in BiH, mostly civilians, and that they are seeking justice. “For numerous crimes committed against members of the Serb people in Podrinje, no one has been held accountable,” Graorac reminded.