NOT ALL VICTIMS IN BiH ARE TREATED EQUALLY, AS CONFIRMED BY SREBRENICA AND PODRINJE

BANJA LUKA, JULY 10 /SRNA/ - All victims must be treated equally before the judiciary, and each one deserves posthumous truth and justice, which, unfortunately, is not the case in BiH; the clearest example of this is Srebrenica and the central Podrinje region, Slobodan Župljanin, president of the Organization of the Republika Srpska Army Commanding Officer, told SRNA.

Župljanin emphasized that no one denies that a horrific crime was committed in Srebrenica, for which many have been prosecuted and are still being held accountable. Still, he asked what about the Serbs killed in Podrinje, and why not a single Bosniak responsible has been adequately punished, even after 33 years. "Are they second-class victims? Who has been held accountable, and what is the attitude of Bosniaks toward those victims? Do Serb victims have the right to grieve, the right to truth, the right to justice? According to the current state of affairs in BiH, they do not. This is sad, inhumane, and uncivilized," Župljanin emphasized. He asks how no one may have been held accountable for the killing of more than 3,000 Serbs in Central Podrinje and Birač, and why BiH, as well as the international community, remain blind and deaf to this crime. He says that coexistence and reconciliation in BiH cannot be expected if some victims are glorified while others are buried and forgotten. "The problem in BiH cannot be resolved by hiding historical facts, exaggerating the number of victims on one side, and minimizing them on the other," Župljanin said. He said that Republika Srpska and the Serbian people have nothing against anyone in BiH commemorating dates and events from the past war, but emphasized that this should be done with sincere remembrance of victims, without falsifying history or politicizing the victims. The 30th anniversary of the suffering of Bosniaks in Srebrenica will be marked tomorrow at the Memorial Center in Potočari. On Saturday, July 12, a memorial service will be held at the ossuary and two memorials dedicated to Serbs who perished in the last two wars in the village of Zalazje. Tribute will be paid to the Serbian civilians and soldiers from this area who were killed on St. Peter's Day /Petrovdan/ in 1992 near Srebrenica, as well as to all Serbs from Central Podrinje who died in the most recent war, and to those from the village who perished in World War II. During the last war, members of the so-called Army of BiH under the command of Naser Orić killed 3,267 Serbs in Central Podrinje and the Birač region. On St. Peter's Day alone, July 12, 1992, Muslim soldiers killed 69 Serbs, and captured 22 soldiers and civilians in villages around Srebrenica and Bratunac, none of whom survived.