34th anniversary of crimes against Bosniaks in Višegrad marked: A reminder of brutality, mass burnings, and torture of civilians

(Patria) - The 34th anniversary of the crimes against Višegrad Bosniaks was marked today at the Mehmed Paša Sokolović Bridge, in the former Pionirska Street and the Bikavac settlement.

The program at the sites of the greatest suffering of Višegrad residents was jointly organized by the Goražde Mufti's Office and MIZ Višegrad, in cooperation with the Association of Families of Missing Persons "Višegrad 92" and the Institute for Research of Crimes Against Humanity and International Law.

Goražde Mufti Remzija-ef. Pitić, referring to historical facts, stated that the nineties were not the only period in which crimes were committed in this area.

- Here, oppression against innocent people has become a kind of tradition of our neighboring policies. The difference between the nineties and what came before is that we fought in the nineties.

We were politically organized, we had state institutions, the Army and the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and all other institutions that were supposed to do their job.

And as a consequence of that - some people were eventually held accountable for what they did - said Mufti Pitić.

Chief Imam of the Višegrad Mufti's Office Hasan-ef. Skorupan reminded that, due to the proximity of the border, the first tanks, the first paramilitary formations, and the first volunteers arrived in this area.

They occupied the town, and the Bosniak population, which at that time constituted more than 65 percent of the total population, was imprisoned in camps.

- Unfortunately, this bridge, which as a waqf represents a lasting good and symbolizes connection between people, was a place of execution for our people at that time.

The greatest culmination of all these wartime events was the burning of two houses in Bikavac and Pionirska Street, where more than 144 Bosniaks, mostly women and children, were killed - Skorupan recounted.

During the memorial program, it was noted that soldiers were not killed here, as all the martyr plaques and monuments testify that the victims were civilians, often women, children, and the elderly.

Bilal Mamišević was informed about the crimes against his closest relatives while he was abroad. In an interview with the Media Center of the Islamic Community, he recalled some details.

- After 1992, every May in my life is special. The enemies killed my father on May 21st, and my mother on May 27th. May '92 found me at the university in Algeria. These are difficult memories and recollections.

Telephone communications ceased, and all sorts of information could be heard. Only after about three months, when my younger brother and sister, thank God, escaped alive, reached Macedonia, and reported, was I able to learn the true truth and facts.

Only then did I find out what my parents, my family, and my people went through - said Memišević.

Muamer Džananović, Director of the Institute for Research of Crimes Against Humanity and International Law of the University of Sarajevo, noted that the Bosniak population was killed in accordance with the Greater Serbian, Greater State ideology and the desire to, in accordance with the strategic goals announced by Radovan Karadžić in 1992, separate the Serbian population on a genocidal basis from the Bosniak and Croatian populations.

- The crimes committed here are among the most brutal committed during the aggression in any part of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It involved mass burnings and torture of civilians.

Unfortunately, today in Višegrad and Bosnian Podrinje, whether someone wants to admit it or not, the Greater State goals have been largely realized. It is also a fact that the Greater State ideology is still present today and has a significant number of followers.

What I want to emphasize is that this ideology and narrative bring nothing good to the people in Višegrad, Bosnian Podrinje, and Bosnia and Herzegovina, regardless of whether they are Serbs or Bosniaks - Džananović concluded.

In memory of the 3,000 victims, 3,000 roses were dropped into the Drina River from the Višegrad bridge, while a prayer was recited at the Stražište cemetery.