CVIJANOVIĆ: FORGETTING IS A SIN, REMEMBRANCE A PERMANENT DUTY

SREMSKI KARLOVCI, AUGUST 3 /SRNA/ – The Serb member of the BiH Presidency, Željka Cvijanović, has stated that those responsible for the horrific crimes committed against Serbs during Croatia’s Operation Storm, one of the largest in Europe after 1945, have never been held accountable, which is why forgetting is a sin and remembering is a lasting obligation for all Serb generations.

"As long as we live, we are obliged to remember, to gather, to bear witness, and to pass on the truth to future generations," Cvijanović said at the commemoration in Sremski Karlovci marking the Day of Remembrance for all Serbs killed and expelled during the Croatian criminal Operation Storm. Cvijanović noted that Republika Srpska and Serbia commemorated this tragedy with dignity, deep sorrow, and reverence, marking three decades since the suffering of the Serb people in Operation Storm. "Endless convoys of our compatriots, 250,000 of them, set out on a journey with no return, permanently leaving their centuries-old homes. During the pogrom, 2,500 Serbs were killed, mostly elderly and vulnerable, many on their doorsteps or in refugee convoys," Cvijanović posted on Instagram. She stressed the perpetrators of this horrific crime have never faced justice, which is injustice that has been hurting for 30 years. "That is precisely why forgetting is a sin, remembering is a lasting duty. As long as we live, we must remember, gather, bear witness, and pass the truth on to future generations," Cvijanović reiterated. She pointed out how proud of Serbia and Republika Srpska she is over joint commemorations of key historical dates, and expressed gratitude to the presidents of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić and Republika Srpska, Milorad Dodik for establishing this practice. "Everlasting remembrance to all victims of the criminal Operation Storm!" Cvijanović stressed. The criminal Operation Storm began on August 4, 1995, with an offensive by the Croatian Army and Police, along with HVO units, in the areas of Banija, Lika, Kordun, and north Dalmatia. The next day, August 5, Croatian forces entered the nearly abandoned town of Knin and raised the Croatian flag, while convoys of refugees were crossing Serb-controlled territories in BiH heading toward Serbia. According to "Veritas", more than 220,000 Serbs were expelled during the Storm. 1,903 names are registered as killed or missing during and after the operation - of whom 1,247 /66%/ were civilians, around three-quarters of whom were over 60 years old. The International Court of Justice, in its February 2015 verdict, classified Operation Storm as ethnic cleansing but not as genocide, although global experts in the field argue that the operation had all the elements of genocide.