25th anniversary of the crime in Štrpci marked: Perpetrators still beyond the reach of justice

ŠTRPCI, (Patria) - We ask the authorities and democratic Montenegro why the crime in Štrpci has been silenced for 25 years and why the perpetrators are beyond the reach of justice, said the brother of the victim Iljaz, Ragip Ličina, today in front of the memorial "Sat života" in Bijelo Polje, where the anniversary of the crime was marked. 

In addition to members of the families of the abducted, the Forum of Bosniaks and citizens, representatives of the municipalities of Bijelo Polje and Petnjica also attended the commemoration, according to Podgorica's Vijesti. 

- Once it was not possible or allowed, but today democratic Montenegro has all the means and all mechanisms to reach the truth, but it too remains silent. Neither our judiciary nor the prosecution can be heard - said Ličina, appealing to the authorities in Montenegro to use all mechanisms to resolve the crime.

Representative of the Forum of Bosniaks, Mirsad Rastoder, said that even after a quarter of a century, nothing has changed and that the crime against the victims of Štrpci and their families continues to this day.

- It continues, because three states, even after 25 years, have not mustered the strength to solve this case - said Rastoder, adding that European institutions are also silent about it.

He appealed to the system institutions in Montenegro, Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina to start as soon as possible or finally shed light on what happened in Štrpci, discover where the remains are, recalling that only four were found in Lake Perućac, but that it stopped after that.

- Also, in 2014, 15 persons suspected of participating in the crime of '93 were arrested, but that trial is being postponed, it continues to this day and still not much has been done. Because of this, the families of the victims are losing hope today, as they have been struggling with uncertainty and questioning what could have been done for 25 years - said Rastoder.

Lawyer for the injured families, Velija Murić, recalled that when asked why he killed so many innocent people, the only defendant Zoran Ranisavljević, without even blinking, said: 'They told me that Turks should be beaten and killed, that they have no place here, they are our enemies.'

- I have never heard anything more bizarre than that. If we start from the truth that here in these areas we are not Turks, we are a people like all others, genetically, relatedly and friendly mixed - said Murić, reminding that Ranisavljević mentioned to the Montenegrin judiciary a list of names that later appeared in indictments before the Belgrade and Sarajevo courts.

Murić said he does not understand what happened then and why the Montenegrin judiciary did not prosecute at that time, and why Milan Lukić, as the leader of the group from Višegrad, was not indicted by the special prosecution in Sarajevo and Belgrade.

From the passenger train "Lovćen" which operated on the Belgrade-Bar line, on February 27, 1993, at the Štrpci station, 20 passengers were abducted, taken towards Višegrad, and ultimately killed. By a decision of the Higher Court in Bijelo Polje, Nebojša Ranisavljević from Despotovac was finally sentenced to 15 years in prison for this abduction. 

In Lake Perućac, the remains of Rasim Ćorić, Jusuf Rastoder, Iljaz Ličina and Halil Zupčević have been found so far, while the search for the others continues. The oldest victim was 59, and the youngest 16 years old.