34th anniversary of the opening of the first camp for Bosniaks in Batkovići near Bijeljina marked

(Patria) - In Batkovići near Bijeljina, the 34th anniversary of the formation of the first concentration camp for non-Serb population in Bosnia and Herzegovina was marked, organized by the Association of Camp Detainees Bijeljina – Janja and the Majlis of the Islamic Community Janja, as well as the Association of Demobilized Soldiers of the Army of RBiH Bijeljina - Janja.

The commemoration was held in the hangars of the former agricultural cooperative, at the site where the Batkovići camp was established on April 1, 1992, and which was closed only in January 1996, as the last camp of its kind in the country.

According to available data, about 40,000 civilians, mainly Bosniaks, Croats, and Roma, passed through the camp, while at least 80 detainees were killed in the camp itself or during forced labor on the front lines during the aggression against Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The president of the Association of Camp Detainees Bijeljina – Janja, Mehmed Đezić, recalled his personal experience of captivity, stating that he was brought to the camp in October 1994, after being transferred through other camps, where the detainees, as he says, were hidden from representatives of the International Red Cross.

– I was brought to Batkovići with a group of about 200 people from Janja. My stay lasted nine months – said Đezić.

He emphasized that about 700 residents of Janja passed through the camp, of whom 22 were killed, and expressed dissatisfaction with the fact that no one has been held accountable for the committed crimes to date.

– We also filed lawsuits for compensation for non-material damages, but they were rejected, and camp detainees were also charged court costs – stated Đezić.

Former camp detainees also point to the difficult social context of their return, emphasizing that they daily encounter individuals who participated in guarding the camp and mistreating detainees.

The message from the commemoration was that the truth about the Batkovići camp must be preserved from oblivion, with a demand for justice and the prosecution of those responsible for the committed crimes.

In Janja, the 33rd anniversary of the demolition of the Atik and Džedid mosques and the 13th anniversary of the construction of the monument to martyrs and civilian victims of the aggression against Bosnia and Herzegovina were also marked today.