REMEMBRANCE HELD FOR VICTIMS OF 1942 USTASHA ATROCITY IN DRAKSENIĆ

KOZARSKA DUBICA, JANUARY 14 /SRNA/ – A memorial has been served today at the Church of St. Apostle and Evangelist Marko in Draksenić, near Kozarska Dubica, in memory of the victims of a horrific Ustasha crime committed on this day in 1942, when 208 local residents, mostly women and children, were murdered in the village.

Municipality Head Igor Savković reminded that the largest number of victims were killed inside the village church, and that only two women survived the massacre carried out there. Today, Savković, together with President of the Municipal Assembly Miloš Banjac, laid a wreath at the remains of the old church. "Exactly 84 years ago, the Ustashas committed a horrific crime here in this church, brutally killing 208 residents. During the Second World War, a total of 896 residents of Draksenić lost their lives," Savković told reporters. At the Church of St. Apostle and Evangelist Marko in Draksenić, parish priest of Draksenić–Demirovac, Saša Tošanović, served the Divine Liturgy, followed by a memorial service for the innocent victims. "We have seen how people perished in the church in Glina, in Prebilovci, in Drakulić, and in many other places, following the same pattern as here on Orthodox Christmas Eve in 1942. This serves as a warning that we must have our own Republika Srpska in order to protect ourselves from such events in the future," Priest Tošanović said. After the memorial service, those attending had the opportunity to view an exhibition on the suffering of the residents of Draksenić, authored by Tanja Tuleković, Director of the Donja Gradina Memorial Area. The exhibition has been set up at the local community center, where it will remain open to the public for the next seven days.