GORNJA KALESIJA On Thursday, the 25th collective funeral and burial of four victims killed in the Zvornik area

(Patria) - In the Gornja Kalesija Memorial Complex, on Thursday, June 1, 2023, the 25th collective funeral will be held and the burial of four identified civilians killed in the Municipality of Zvornik during the aggression against Bosnia and Herzegovina. To date, 1,114 bodies of killed Zvornik residents have been identified, and the remains of 792 victims have been buried at this site, while the remaining bodies were buried in local cemeteries in the Zvornik area. Official records of the crimes committed by the JNA and the Serb army indicate that more than 2,000 civilians were killed in the Zvornik area alone. Many are still missing.

Ahmet Grahić, president of the Association of Families of Captured and Missing Persons of the Municipality of Zvornik, expressed outrage at the inadequate work of state institutions in uncovering perpetrators of war crimes and in searching for the missing.

"More than 7,600 people are still being searched for in Bosnia and Herzegovina, missing during the aggression against Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is a shame that in almost three decades we have not managed to find the bodies of the victims so that they could be buried with dignity. Unfortunately, our prosecutor's offices have completely slowed down that process, and we are sure that because of this, a large number of perpetrators will go unpunished. When someone mentions the prosecutor's office to me, I feel like crying," said Grahić.

On Thursday, June 1, 2023, at the Martyrs' Cemetery of the Gornja Kalesija Memorial Complex, the following will be buried: Izet (Ismet) Manjić, born in 1971 in Kamenica, Senad (Abdurahman) Sulejmanović, born in 1964 in Novo Selo, Sadika (Emin) Hrbatović, born in 1970 in Pahljevići, Smajo (Ibrahim) Hamzabegović, born in 1950 in Glodi.

Their bodies were found in mass graves: Kamenica, Križevačke njive, and Snagovo, back in 2004. However, they waited almost two decades for identification.

Mustafa-ef. Muharemović, president of the Organizing Committee of the 25th collective funeral, and hfz. Izet-ef. Salkanović, chief imam of the Islamic Community of Zvornik, invited citizens to visit all the execution sites in an organized manner and thus pay tribute to the victims. It was also suggested that all those coming from the diaspora who have not yet done so should contact the ICMP in Tuzla to provide a blood sample, which is necessary for the identification of missing relatives.