Anniversary of war crimes in Čajniče: Bosniak civilians killed while trying to escape the war, Kornjača unavailable to BiH judiciary!

(Patria) - The Association for Social Research and Communication (UDIK) reminds the public of the anniversary of war crimes against Bosniaks in Čajniče. During May 1992, at the hunting lodge location in Mostina near Čajniče, Bosniak civilians were killed who had been previously captured in the town or surrounding villages, as well as on the road towards Pljevlja while they were trying to escape the war.

According to data from the Institute for Missing Persons of Bosnia and Herzegovina, a total of 138 missing persons have been reported in the area of Čajniče. The remains of 68 exhumed men and 22 women have been handed over to families. The bodies of 48 residents of Čajniče are still being searched for. Victims from the Čajniče area were exhumed from a total of 32 locations, with nine mass graves discovered. The largest grave was located in Mostina, from which the remains of 18 victims were exhumed in September 2002. The Mostina location concealed six more mass graves from which the bodies of a total of 60 victims were exhumed.

The Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina has handled several cases against members of the Army of Republika Srpska (VRS) related to war crimes committed in this area. It sentenced Milorad Živković, Milun Kornjača, Milosav Jovanović, Marijan Jovanović, and Slavka Jovanović to prison terms ranging from six to eleven years. Duško Tadić and Stevo Jovanović were acquitted of the charges. In 2021, UDIK documented these cases in a publication titled "War Crimes in Čajniče – Verdicts".

Almost a decade has passed since the state court confirmed the indictment against Duško Kornjača, who is charged with the criminal offense of crimes against humanity. He is still unavailable to the judicial authorities of Bosnia and Herzegovina, although it is known that he resides in Novi Sad. Therefore, we appeal to the state of Serbia to extradite Duško Kornjača to the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina, thereby showing that it is ready for regional cooperation when it comes to confronting the war past of the nineties. As long as we protect criminals and call them heroes, respect our victims while ignoring or denying others, we cannot speak of reconciliation and a better life in these regions.

Out of deep respect for the murdered, and on the occasion of the anniversary, we remember the murdered civilians of Čajniče and its surroundings.