BUDIMIR: GENOCIDE WAS COMMITTED AGAINST SERBS IN ŠUŠNJAR AND GARAVICE

SANSKI MOST, AUGUST 2 /SRNA/ – Republika Srpska Minister of Interior Željko Budimir has said today that genocide was committed against the Serb people in Šušnjar and Garavice during the Second World War, adding that there is not a single Serb household in that area in which no one was killed.

Budimir said that the Serb people gather at Šušnjar every year to pay tribute to the Serbs who perished during the Second World War, stressing that they come not only to remember, but also to ensure that such evil is never repeated. "The Second World War and the year 1941 were a difficult time for the Serb people in the Sanski Most district, where the Ustasha and the Muslim militia committed horrific crimes against Serbs," Budimir told the press in Šušnjar near Sanski Most, where the 85th anniversary of the Ustasha massacre of 5,500 Serbs and 50 Jews is being commemorated today. Budimir said that 10,000 people were killed in the Sanski Most district, while more than 55,000 people were killed across the Bosanska Krajina region. "This shows the extent of the monstrous nature of the Ustasha crimes against the Serb people," said Budimir, who is himself a descendant of Šušnjar victims. He recalled that his great-grandfather, Jovo, was among the first victims of Ustasha crimes following the occupation of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. "Despite the horrific genocide and crimes committed against the Serb people in Šušnjar and Garavice, the Serb people rose up, prevailed, and even liberated those who had committed crimes against them," Budimir said. At Šušnjar, Ustasha forces brutally killed 5,500 Serbs and 50 Jews, with the largest massacre taking place on the Orthodox feast of St. Elijah's Day /Ilindan/ in 1941. The commemoration of this historical event of republic significance is organised by the Republika Srpska Government's Committee fostering traditions of liberation wars.