SERB VICTIMS ARE NOT LESS VALUABLE

SREBRENICA, MAY 20 /SRNA/ – Brane Vučetić from Podrinje, who lost his entire family during the war, described the reactions from the Federation of BiH (FBiH) to the decision to build a memorial complex for Serb victims from the central Podrinje region as insidious and as an act of humiliation toward Serb victims.

"I was shocked to see that the federal media reported negatively on the construction of a memorial complex for Serb victims. As someone who lost his entire family and was taken to a camp in Srebrenica, I cannot believe how far the human mind is willing to go," Vučetić told SRNA. He asked why certain malicious individuals from FBiH want to conceal the truth about the deaths of Slavka Matić's daughters and husband, the entire family of Milojka Bibić, the family of Cvetko Ristić, Slađana Trifunović, and many civilians killed by the Muslim forces under Naser Orić. "I, like all those people I mentioned who lost their families, am a witness to the truth – that Serbs were victims in this war, especially in this region. Why does someone believe that my losses are unimportant or worth less?" Vučetić asked. He stated that what is being done from FBiH is insidious – humiliating Serb victims and rubbing salt into open wounds of the heart and soul. "My heart and soul carry three deep wounds, and one way those wounds could at least begin to heal is by building that memorial complex so that all those who are unaware of the extent of our suffering can finally hear my story, and the stories of many others who lost their loved ones – so that the truth may finally rise out of the fog it has been pushed into for years, both by Muslims and by global powers that are against Serbs and Republika Srpska," Vučetić emphasized. The decision by the Government of Republika Srpska to allocate funds for the construction of a memorial site in Bratunac, intended to highlight the suffering of the Serb people in central Podrinje, was met with disapproval in FBiH, where it was called a "devious plan" and claims were made that the construction should not be permitted.