Duratović: White Ribbon Day is not the beginning of the suffering of Prijedor residents, crimes were committed before May 31

PRIJEDOR, (Patria) - President of the Association of Camp Inmates „Prijedor '92“ Mirsad Duratović appealed to the media, organizations and individuals not to treat White Ribbon Day as the day marking the beginning of crimes against Bosniaks and Croats in Prijedor in 1992. He said that crimes were committed even before May 31. 

„By May 30/31, 1992, almost half of the total number of killed Bosniak and Croat civilians had been killed in Prijedor. The three Prijedor camps (Omarska, Keraterm and Trnopolje) were already open and full of civilians. About 12,000 Bosniaks were expelled from the areas of Hambarine and Kozarac, their property looted and destroyed, all Bosniak and Croat political representatives removed from their public positions, arrested or killed, Bosniak and Croat police officers removed from their jobs...“, said Duratović.

Because of the victims of genocide from Kozarac and Hambarine, because of Jusuf Kučuković - the first killed civilian in Prijedor before May 30/31, 1992 in Prijedor - said Duratović, I ask you not to mention White Ribbon Day as the Day of the beginning of genocide against Bosniaks and Croats in Prijedor. 

„On that day we remember the crimes committed in Prijedor both before and after that May 31“, said Duratović for the Patria agency.

White Ribbon Day, May 31, is a symbolic date declared in memory of more than 3,000 killed residents of the Prijedor area. It is marked in Bosnia and Herzegovina and numerous European cities.

On that day in 1992, the Bosnian Serb authorities 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 over Radio Prijedor on May 31, 1992, sounded:

"Citizens of Serbian nationality, join your army and police in the pursuit of 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 White Ribbon Day in Prijedor is marked by a peaceful walk through the streets of Prijedor.

According to data from the Association "Prijedor '92“, so far 3,176 residents of Prijedor have been registered as killed or missing during the war, mostly civilians, the vast majority Bosniaks, then Croats, while Roma, Albanians and some Serbs were also killed. Among the victims were 256 women and 102 children.