Search still ongoing for 42 missing Bosniaks from Kalinovik, families demand marking of suffering sites and removal of Mladić mural

(Patria) - Organized by the Association of Families of Victims "Istina Kalinovik 92", the 32nd anniversary of the crimes against Bosniaks of Kalinovik and its surroundings was marked today.

Families of the killed and missing, witnesses and citizens, as well as numerous delegations, walked the "Path of Death", visiting buildings that were turned into camps for Bosniaks during the war in this area, including the notorious "Barutni magacin" (Powder Magazine) camp, as well as locations where mass graves containing the remains of victims were found after the war.

Adnan Hadžić is one of the few returnees to Kalinovik, where he works in agriculture.

"My return here is my debt to my father Veiz, who was imprisoned in the camp at the school. He was allegedly called up for work duty and they left him there. After that, he was transferred to the Powder Magazine, from where he was taken to an unknown location and killed. Only part of his skeleton was found, which was buried," says Adnan.

Kemal Pervan had 13 family members killed, including his father, uncle and cousin.

"First, they were taken in front of the municipal building, and then to the school building. They were there for 15 days, and then they were taken to the Powder Magazine. They were taken away and killed. Of the 87 prisoners, only Fejzija Hadžić survived," says Kemal.

Also present in Kalinovik today was David Pettigrew, professor of philosophy and Holocaust and genocide studies at Connecticut State University, a member of the Board of Directors of the Genocide Studies Program at Yale University.

He appealed to the authorities to enable the exercise of the right to erect memorial markers at the execution sites in Kalinovik, including a memorial museum and cemetery at the Powder Magazine, and to prevent the glorification of convicted war criminals in Kalinovik.

"It is important to recall that for the crimes committed in Kalinovik in 1992, the Appellate Chamber of the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina sentenced the former commander of the Bosnian Serb Tactical Group, Ratko Bundalo, to 22 years in prison, the police station commander Neđo Zeljaja to 15 years in prison, and the commander of the Powder Magazine camp, Đorđislav Aškraba, to seven years in prison. It should not be forgotten that Grujo Lalović and Boško Govedarica, who were members of the joint criminal enterprise that planned and supported the persecution of the Bosniak population of the Kalinovik municipality through forced displacement, extermination, unlawful imprisonment, and other inhumane acts, fled to Serbia and have so far evaded prosecution. The failure to prosecute them undermines respect for the rule of law and damages our collective human dignity," Pettigrew stated.

He said it is an insult to all of humanity that survivors have been prevented from erecting memorials in Kalinovik.

"The ban represents a violation of the fundamental human right to memorialization. The concentration camp 'Barutni magacin', for example, should be preserved as a protected national memorial with a museum that will educate future generations to prevent the repetition of crimes. The United Nations Resolution of January 2022 calls for the preservation of such sites to educate future generations and prevent future acts of genocide. Erecting a memorial at the Powder Magazine would contribute not only to a culture of remembrance but also to a just future in Bosnia. Although the perpetrators of crimes in Kalinovik were not convicted of genocide, their crimes resulted in the near-total elimination of the Bosniak population. The Bosniak population in Kalinovik decreased from approximately 31 percent in 1992 to 2 percent in 2013. The ban on memorials for victims and the mural glorifying Ratko Mladić at the entrance to the town are a continuation of that effort to eliminate the Bosniak population by preventing the return of refugees through psychological intimidation," said Pettigrew.

Photo: BIRN BiH

The Association "Istina-Kalinovik '92" reminds that the search is still ongoing for 42 missing persons from Kalinovik,
and that the key perpetrators of crimes against civilians from the crisis headquarters are at large in Serbia.

The Association calls on the Prosecutor's Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina to indict Grujo Lalović and Boško
Govedarica, who planned and commanded the ethnic cleansing of civilians and the formation of camps.
The Association also reminds that no one has been held responsible for erecting the mural and monument
to the convicted war criminal – former VRS commander Ratko Mladić in Kalinovik.
The Association appeals to the Prosecutor's Office of BiH to launch an investigation, reminding that according to
the amendments to the Criminal Code imposed by the High Representative in BiH in 2021,
glorifying war criminals is illegal and punishable.

The Association also reminds that all sites of suffering and torture of non-Serb civilians – the Public Institution
Primary School "Ljutica Bogdan", the Powder Magazine camp, and other execution sites in the area
of Kalinovik and Foča remain unmarked.

We also remind that the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina, through final verdicts for crimes in Kalinovik, sentenced
Ratko Bundalo to 22, Neđo Zeljaja to 15, Đorđislav Aškraba to 7, Novica Tripković to 7 years, Slavko Lalović to 5 years, Dalibor Krstović known as Dado to 9 years in prison. So far, a total of 93 years of imprisonment have been sentenced for crimes in Kalinovik. Also, the Hague Tribunal (ICTY) for crimes in Kalinovik and Foča sentenced Dragoslav Kunara Žaga to 28 years in prison.