The Day the World Fell Silent: Remembering the Sarajevans Killed in the Markale Market Massacre

(Patria) - Numerous citizens and officials of Sarajevo and Bosnia and Herzegovina, relatives and friends, by laying flowers, observing a minute of silence and reciting the Fatiha, remembered the Sarajevans who were killed on this day in 1995, in Mula Mustafe Bašeskije Street up to number 64, at the entrance to the City Market.

They gathered and remembered the second massacre at the "Markale" market, in which 43 Sarajevans were killed, while 84 were lightly and seriously wounded. Today, flowers were laid and the names of the deceased Sarajevans were read out.

Flowers at the memorial were also laid by the member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Željko Komšić, and other officials.

From a 120 mm mortar shell fired on August 28, 1995, from positions under the control of the Army of Republika Srpska (VRS), 43 civilians were killed at the Sarajevo Markale market, including three children, while 84 were lightly and seriously wounded.

In the massacre that occurred at the northern entrance to the Sarajevo City Market on August 28, 1995, just before the end of the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the following were killed: Omer Ajanović, Hidajet Alić, Salko Alić, Zeno Bašević, Husein Baktašević, Sevda Brkan-Kruščica, Vera Brutus-Đukić, Halida Cepić, Paša Crnčalo, Mejra Cocalić, Razija Čolić, Esad Čoranbegić, Dario Dlouhi, Salko Duraković, Alija Dževlan, Najla Fazlić, Rijad Garbo, Ibrahim Hajvaz, Meho Herceglić, Jasmina Hodžić, Hajrudin Hozo, Jusuf Hašimbegović, Adnan Ibrahimagić, Ilija Karanović, Mesudija Kerović, Vehid Komar, Muhamed Kukić, Mirsad Kovačević, Hašim Kurtović, Ismet Klarić, Masija Lončar, Osman Mahmutović, Senad Muratović, Goran Poturković, Blaženka Smoljan, Hamid Smajlhodžić, Hajro Šatrović, Samir Topuzović, Hamza Tunović, Ajdin Vukotić, Sabaheta Vukotić, Meho Zećo and Narima Žiga.

On February 5, 1994, a shell also fell on "Markale" from positions of the VRS around the then-besieged Sarajevo, killing 68 and wounding 144 people.

A year earlier, on February 5, 1994, a massacre was also committed at Markale when, as a shell fired from VRS positions fell on the crowded city market, 68 citizens of Sarajevo were killed and 144 wounded.

For war crimes against the residents of Sarajevo, including the two Markale massacres, the International Court in The Hague sentenced high-ranking officers of the Army of Republika Srpska – Stanislav Galić to life imprisonment, and Dragomir Milošević to 29 years.

For the terrorizing and sniping of citizens of Sarajevo, among other things, Radovan Karadžić, the former president of Republika Srpska (RS), was also sentenced to life imprisonment before the Hague Tribunal, while Ratko Mladić, the former commander of the VRS, was also sentenced to life imprisonment for the same crimes.