MEMORIAL SERVICE HELD IN OSAMSKO FOR SERBS KILLED IN PAST WARS

BRATUNAC, November 15 /SRNA/ - A memorial service was held today in Osamsko near Bratunac for 34 soldiers of the Army of Republika Srpska from this and the neighboring villages of Polom, Dubravice, Slapašnica, and Krasanpolje, as well as for all Serbs from these areas who were killed in the wars of the 19th and 20th centuries.

Radojka Filipović, President of the Organization of Families of Fallen and Missing Persons, told SRNA that the surnames and years of death engraved on the memorial clearly show that multiple generations of certain families were killed. She noted that a continuity of Serbian suffering is evident, inflicted by the same enemies - Muslim neighbors who fought in various armies, always against the Serbs. "They were never held accountable for the crimes they committed, which is why they repeatedly carried them out without mercy. They would do the same again if given the opportunity, as can be inferred from statements coming from political Sarajevo and the Muslim leadership," Filipović said. She illustrated this continuity of suffering with the example of her own family. "My grandfather, Momčilo Blagojević, whose name is engraved here, was killed in 1943, leaving my father an orphan. In the last war, my child was left an orphan as well, because his father was killed by the Muslim descendants of those who murdered my grandfather," she explained. Filipović stressed that younger generations must be aware of this history and preserve the culture of remembrance so that such tragedies are not repeated. In addition to the names of the 34 fallen soldiers from the Defence and Homeland War, the monument in Osamsko also bears the names of several local Serbs killed in the Serbian-Turkish wars of the 19th century. The memorial includes the names of three Salonika volunteers, Serbs killed by Schutzkorps units, Serbs who died in both World Wars, and Serbian civilians from these villages murdered on the Drina River on August 3, 1942. The memorial service was conducted by Protojerej-Stavrofor Dušan Spasojević of Bratunac, after which representatives of the Municipal Administration, the Veterans' Organization, the Organization of Families of Captured and Fallen Soldiers and Missing Civilians of Bratunac, and the Birač Region Camp Inmates Association laid flowers.