07.07.2017.
Marking the Anniversary of Suffering of Serbs in Middle Podrinje
The anniversary of suffering of Serbs in Middle Podrinje was marked today in the evening hours at the Town Square in Bratunac in the Republic of Srpska.
The observation of this anniversary and presentation of a documentary about the suffering of Serbs in the area of Middle Podrinje were attended by the President of the Republic of Srpska, Milorad Dodik, Minister of Defence, Aleksandar Vulin as the envoy of the Republic of Serbia, Minister of Labour, Employment, Social and Veteran Affairs, Zoran Đorđević on behalf of the Government of Serbia, delegation of the National Assembly of the Republic of Srpska and numerous citizens.
The officials had previously attended the office for the killed and dead Serbs of Podrinje held at the Town cemetery of Bratunac and laid wreaths at the Memorial Cross.
Minister Vulin stated that the Serbian people “shall never stop searching for the truth about its victims” and he added that “the Serbs died and were killed for too long with too many victims, and yet everywhere around them was the silence”.
- And again it is only us standing here today – the representatives of the Republic of Serbia and the Republic of Srpska, but there are no representatives of international community. It seems that Serbian wounds are painful only to Serbs while all others turn their heads. Serbs have proven that they are capable of respecting the plight and adversity of others and to honour someone else’s victims. On the other hand, quite rarely do we have an opportunity to see people who understand Serbia and who understand our need for peace. It takes only one for hate and misfortune, while it takes two to make peace – the Minister of Defence stated.
Minister Đorđević emphasised that they gathered on that day, 25 years later “with a strong will to honour the fallen Serbs and to show the world that we have not forgotten the crimes that someone committed thinking that he would never answer for his crimes”.
- The hatred did not allow itself to be sown here and we are proud that we were ready to offer the hand of reconciliation. We have to think about the future, to strongly stick together acknowledging all the others. Only in that way will the history understand that we were on the right side – Đorđević said.
According to the words of the President of the Republic of Srpska, the suffering of Serbs places us more than ever in a position to pay our full attention to the fallen, as well as memory so that they would never be forgotten which was the purpose of those kinds of gatherings.
- I am grateful to all those who came here to commemorate our suffering in this manner as well as to strengthen our memory – Dodik said.
The present were addressed by the Mayor of Bratunac municipality, Nedeljko Mlađenović and Slađana Zarić, the author of the documentary “The Crime without Punishment – the Suffering of Serbs in Middle Podrinje” produced in cooperation with National Broadcasting Service and the Centre for Research of War Crimes in the Republic of Srpska.
Marking will be continued on Saturday, 8th July when the office for the dead will be served in the cemetery of Bratunac at 9.00, with laying flowers and paying homage to the Serbian victims who lost their lives in the last war.
According to documented data of the National Centre for Research on War, War Crimes and Missing Persons, 2 428 Serbs were killed in Middle Podrinje.
Municipality of Bratunac and the Board for Cherishing the Tradition of Liberation Wars of the Government of the Republic of Srpska are the organisers of this year’s central commemoration of the anniversary of the suffering of Serbs in the Middle Podrinje.
