IVANJDAN OBSERVED WITH PRAYERS

ZAVIDOVIĆI, JULY 7 /SRNA/ - Ivanjdan was marked today in the memorial chapel dedicated to the Beheading of Saint John the Baptist, which is currently under construction in the churchyard of the Church of Saint George in Stog, in the municipality of Zavidovići, in the presence of a small number of returnees and former residents.

Zavidovići parish priest Zoran Živković said he was pleased that people continue to nurture a connection with their homeland and gather for religious services, all to preserve the Orthodox faith, tradition and culture, and remember the presence of Serbs in this area. "Return has long since come to a standstill. There are still a few people rebuilding their homes, but that does not mean a return," priest Živković told reporters. The priest called on all those who owned property to seek their rights, rebuild their estates, which is a basic right of all people, and take part in calls for the allocation of donations. Commenting on the progress of construction of the memorial chapel, priest Živković said that they had sufficient financial resources thanks to donors, but that they lacked skilled craftsmen, such as sheet-metal workers. The service was also attended by returnee to Stošnjica near Vozuća, 80-year-old Ljeposava Petković, who was beaten in her family home in December 2023 by two individuals who had broken into the house with an axe and threatened to kill her while demanding money. She said that the attackers had still not been found, recalling that she had also been subjected to attacks before that incident. Petković said that, unfortunately, gatherings such as today's, which provide an opportunity for people to socialise, are not frequent because there are no pre-war residents and no sustainable return. Dijana Lazendić, who was born in Svinjašnica, came today to light a candle and pay tribute to her uncle and grandmother, who were killed at the very beginning of the war. She said that she only visits these areas during religious holidays and gatherings, but that due to the lack of conditions for a sustainable return, she does not plan to return to her ancestral home. A mass grave containing 21 bodies, 17 of them decapitated, was discovered near the Church of Saint George in Stog. The foundations of the memorial chapel, which is being built at the site of the mass grave of Serbs killed during the offensive by the so-called Army of BiH, supported by NATO forces, from September 10 to 24, 1995, were consecrated on August 3, 2024. The names of the victims from this area will be inscribed in the memorial chapel, including 1,560 Serb victims from the monastery and Stog parishes, more than 400 of whom were children killed during the Second World War, around 30 victims from the First World War, as well as several hundred people killed during the Defensive-Patriotic War. The Serbs from Vozuća were expelled from their ancestral homes during the offensive by the so-called Army of BiH, codenamed "Hurricane", "Farz" and "Badr el Bosna." The mass suffering of the people of Vozuća took place from September 10 to 24, 1995, as a result of the offensive by 23,000 Muslim soldiers from the Second and Third Corps of the so-called Army of BiH and the "El Mujahideen" unit, NATO bombing supported by its rapid reaction forces, as well as the Pakistani contingent of international peacekeeping forces. At that time, 30 Serb villages were burned, 1,920 Serb families comprising 7,680 members were expelled, and 459 Republika Srpska Army soldiers and civilians were killed, while the search continues for a larger number of missing persons. The fall of Vozuća marked the end of the expulsion and ethnic cleansing of Serbs from the Zenica region, which began in 1992. Only former commander of the so-called Army of BiH Rasim Delić was sentenced for the horrific crimes committed against Serb soldiers and civilians, receiving a three-year prison term. Third Corps commander of the so-called Army of BiH Sakib Mahmuljin was also convicted but fled to avoid serving his prison sentence.