Duvnjak calls for day of mourning for Prijedor victims

If the Council of Ministers of BiH does not adopt the Decision on declaring July 20th a day of mourning in BiH, I call on the Government of the Federation of BiH to adopt the decision on declaring July 20th a day of mourning – says Jasmin Duvnjak, a Member of the Parliament of the Federation of BiH.

On Sunday, July 20th this year, 284 victims of the genocide in Prijedor will be buried. These are 283 victims of Bosniak nationality and one victim of Croatian nationality, found mostly in the Tomašica mass grave in the Prijedor area.

The youngest victim to be buried is the boy Elvis Šarčević. He was 13 years old when he was killed, and his remains were found in the Tomašica mass grave. Among the 284 identified and ready for burial in Prijedor are 12 minors. The oldest victim identified is Salih Kadirić, born in 1915.

- Given that in the entity of RS, whose political authorities daily brazenly and shamelessly deny the genocide and war crimes committed by the Army of RS during the aggression against BiH, a Day of Mourning will likely not be declared, I believe that at least in one part of our country, in a civilized and humane way, we should pay our last respects and show respect for the innocent victims of this monstrous crime – said Duvnjak.

He is also initiating an initiative towards the Parliamentary Assembly of BiH for the adoption of a unified law on marking the day of mourning throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina. This law, he says, would define the conditions and manner of declaring and marking the day of mourning throughout the country.

- Obviously, even severe human tragedies, such as recent natural disasters, and mass burials of civilian war victims, do not evoke sufficient human respect and genuine compassion among nationalist political forces. The adoption of such a law would be a step forward in strengthening tolerance, coexistence, and promoting European civilizational values in BiH society – says Duvnjak, writes Patria.