FROM NOW ON, FORGOTTEN SERBIAN MARTYRS WILL BE HONORED AS SAINTS

BELGRADE, MAY 18 /SRNA/ - Dragan Radović, the author of the film "Garavice," which brought to light the truth about the suffering of Serbs in the Bihać area and other western Krajina municipalities during World War II, welcomed with joy the news that the Serbian Orthodox Church /SOC/ has canonized the holy martyrs of Garavice, Bihać, and Rmanj.

"From now on, those whom history long forgot will be celebrated as saints. I feel both proud and joyful, because in a way, I took part in this — through the film and my research," Radović told SRNA. The Holy Martyrs of Garavice and Bihać, the Holy Martyrs of Rmanj, and the Holy Hieromartyr Ilija Rodić, parish priest of Trubar, were canonized at the regular session of the Holy Assembly of Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church, held in Belgrade in the crypt of the Saint Sava Cathedral from May 13 to 17. Radović emphasized that the "Forgotten Roots" Foundation is in the final stages of preparing the collection titled "Garavice" and "Black Lake," the latter referring to a major execution site for Serbs near Bosanska Krupa. "Nearly 9,000 Serbian victims have been listed by name. There are certainly around 10,000," said Radović. He explained that this collection will be dedicated solely to the suffering of the people in Bosanska Krupa, which was one of the municipalities that experienced the greatest suffering during World War II. The documentation for the collection has been collected over many years from at least seven archives, including Croatian ones, and their publication represents the most extensive and demanding project to date by the "Forgotten Roots" Foundation.