Day of Remembrance for Crimes in Prijedor, 102 Children Killed

PRIJEDOR, (Patria) - The Day of White Ribbons, May 31st, is a remembrance of over 3,000 murdered residents of the Prijedor region. It is observed in Bosnia and Herzegovina and numerous European and world cities.

On that day, Bosnian Serb authorities in 1992 ordered the non-Serb population to wear white ribbons around their arms, and to hang white sheets on their houses and apartments.

This is how the call broadcast via Radio Prijedor on May 31, 1992, read:

"Citizens of Serbian nationality, join your army and police in pursuing extremists. Other citizens, of Muslim and Croatian nationality, must hang white flags on their houses and apartments and put white ribbons on their arms. Otherwise, they will face severe consequences."

The International Day of White Ribbons in Prijedor is marked by a silent march through the streets of Prijedor and the laying of 102 flowers for the 102 murdered children of Prijedor, who still do not have their monument.

According to data from the association "Prijedor '92", to date, 3,176 Prijedor residents have been registered as killed or missing during the war, mostly civilians, predominantly Bosniaks, followed by Croats, as well as murdered Roma, Albanians, and some Serbs. Among the victims were 256 women and 102 children.

It is important to emphasize that the crimes in Prijedor began even before May 1992. Three Prijedor camps (Omarska, Keraterm, and Trnopolje) were already open and filled with civilians. Approximately 12,000 Bosniaks were expelled from the Hambarine and Kozarac areas, and their property was looted and destroyed, all Bosniak and Croat political representatives were removed from their public positions, arrested or killed, and Bosniak and Croat police officers were removed from their jobs.