MEMORIAL SERVICE FOR SERB VICTIMS OF USTASHA CRIMES HELD IN KRIVODOLI

PALE, MAY 15 /SRNA/ – A memorial service was held today at the monument in Krivodoli near Pale for more than 40 Serb civilians killed by the Ustasha during World War II, from where it was emphasized that remembering Serb victims is an obligation and the foundation of the Serb people's existence.

Chair of the Pale War Veterans Organisation Assembly Radosav Živković said the memorial was held as part of the Remembrance of June 1992 event, organised by the municipal War Veterans Organisation and SUBNOR. "It must be clearly understood that the suffering of the Serb people was part of a continuous policy directed against Serbs throughout the 20th century," Živković said. He recalled that 43 household heads from Rakovac were killed in Krivodoli, while the massacre continued the same night in the village itself, where 59 residents were killed, including 40 children under the age of 14. "That is why we must speak about the nature of this crime, because it is completely clear that the goal was the extermination of the Serb people in this area," Živković said. He also noted that the Waw Veterans Organisation is marking 83 years since the killing of Serbs in Jelovci, where 325 civilians were brutally murdered between November 11 and 15, 1943. "If we forget, others will eagerly take advantage of that. The culture of remembrance is our duty and the foundation of our existence," Živković stressed. Speaker of the Istočno Sarajevo City Assembly Boško Jugović said Krivodoli is one of many places in the Sarajevo-Romanija region where the Ustasha committed crimes during World War II. "We must preserve the culture of remembrance because Serbs were murdered here in the most brutal way simply because they were Serbs and because they defended their homes," Jugović added. He stressed that institutions, schools, and local communities must continuously educate young people about the suffering of the Serb people and the importance of preserving Republika Srpska. History teacher at the Pale Primary School Nenad Tomović said that students, together with teachers, prepared a programme to revive the memory of the November 1943 tragic events. "As part of the event, 14 activities have been organised, and three schools from Pale are participating. This is the fourth time we have come to Krivodoli to remind students and residents about the suffering of the Serb people," said Tomović, who is also a member of the commission preserving the culture of remembrance within the Pale War Veterans Organisation. He emphasized that the Krivodoli crime is one of the most tragic stories in the history of Pale because the victims were Serb civilians, not a military threat. Tomović added that men from the village of Rakovac were killed in Krivodoli, while the same night Ustasha forces raided the village itself and massacred women, children, and the elderly. Tomislav Savić, a descendant of one of the victims, said that stories about the crime committed by the Ustasha in November 1943 have been passed down through generations in his family. He explained that under the pretext of issuing movement permits in the Independent State of Croatia, the men were gathered in the building of the then municipality, today’s Cultural Centre, beaten and abused, and then taken in a line to Krivodoli where they were brutally killed with bayonets and cold weapons so that gunshots would not be heard. Savić said that 43 men were killed that day, although only 21 names appear on the monument because some families buried their relatives in family cemeteries. "My grandfather is not buried here. He bled to death from his wounds not far from Krivodoli, toward Rakovac, and was buried in the Savić family grave," he said. Primary school student Bogdan Krajišnik, who participated in the commemorative programme about the suffering in Krivodoli and Rakovac, stressed that the massacre must not be forgotten and that younger generations should preserve the culture of remembrance of Serb proplr’s suffering. As part of the Days of Remembrance of June 1992 event, a memorial service for fallen soldiers will be held in Podgrab on Thursday, May 21, at 11:00 a.m.