NUŽDIĆ: KRAVICA SYMBOL OF THE SUFFERING OF SERB PEOPLE IN PODRINJE

BANJA LUKA, JANUARY 3 /SRNA/ – Republika Srpska, its institutions, and the families of victims will never forget the war crimes committed against Serbs in Kravica on Christmas 1993, nor the crimes committed in other Podrinje villages during the war, and will continue to demand that those responsible be punished, said Viktor Nuždić, Head of the Republika Srpska Reasearch Centre of War, War Crimes, and Tracing Missing Persons.

Nuždić told SRNA that Kravica represents a symbol of the suffering of the Serb people in Podrinje, noting that such suffering did not occur only during the Defensive - Patriotic War, but unfortunately continued a pattern dating back to World War II. "It is well known that, to date, no one has been prosecuted or finally convicted for these crimes. It is always extremely difficult to listen to testimonies about what Serbs endured on Christmas 1993, and the level of brutality is reflected in forensic findings documented by doctor Zoran Stanković," Nuždić said. He has emphasized that Kravica is not an isolated case and that members of the 28th Division of the so-called Army of BiH also carried out attacks and killings in other Podrinje villages, targeting people who had previously been their neighbours. He recalled that at least 49 Serbs were killed in Kravica on January 7 and 8. "Neither the number of victims nor the manner of their deaths was sufficient for the Hague Tribunal or the Court of BiH to convict anyone," Nuždić stated. According to himthe Republika Srpska Reasearch Centre of War, War Crimes, and Tracing Missing Person has thoroughly documented the crime committed in Kravica in its Atlas of Crimes Against Serbs in 1993. A memorial service will be held in Kravica near Bratunac on Monday, January 5, marking 33 years since the major suffering of Serbs in that village on Christmas Day. The memorial service will be held for 163 Serbs from Kravica and neighbouring hamlets who were killed during the Defensive-Patriotic War. Of that number, 49 were killed by Muslim forces from Srebrenica on January 7, 1993. Ethnic cleansing in the Central Podrinje region began in April 1992 with the destruction of everything with Serb prefix. Muslim forces from Srebrenica, under the command of Naser Orić, with support from units from the Bratunac, Vlasenica, and Zvornik areas, carried out attacks against Serb civilians and destroyed property throughout 1992. On Christmas Day 1993, 49 villagers were killed and 80 wounded in Kravica. The village was looted, and 688 Serb-owned houses in the wider area were set on fire. In a single day, around 1,000 residents were left without homes and made their way through the snowdrifts towards the Drina, avoiding certain death by crossing to Serbia. As a result of these events, 101 children were left without one or both parents.