Tribute Paid to Victims of Massacre in Halači Street

(Patria) - A delegation from the Sarajevo Canton laid flowers today at the site of the massacre in Halači Street, number 5, and paid tribute to the murdered citizens. Dženan Aljević, Mahir Ferhatović, Tarik Harba, Esma Muratović, Mehila Muratović – Spahić, Almasa Spahić, Mahira Spahić, and Ismet Suljić were killed by members of the Army of Republika Srpska, who fired a shell on this day, 32 years ago.

The KS delegation was led by the Minister of Science, Higher Education and Youth, Prof. Dr. Adna Mesihović, who reminded those present in her address that at that time, our fellow citizens were waiting in line with canisters and buckets in their hands to get water, when a shell was fired from the positions of the Army of Republika Srpska, which exploded here and killed eight and wounded six people.



"We are talking about them even today because it is very important, not only for the past and the present, but especially for the future. It is necessary to constantly talk about it so that such a heinous act is not repeated, neither here nor anywhere in the world. And unfortunately, even today we are witnessing the killing of innocent people and children in our not-so-distant neighborhood. Therefore, we must remember the thousand-day siege of Sarajevo, during which its citizens were exposed to great suffering, when they were hungry, thirsty, freezing... and the worst of all was the fact that in such conditions they were exposed to constant shelling and snipers, which killed more than 12,000 citizens of Sarajevo, including 1,601 children.

I don't like to divide people, but I feel the need to mention that the enemy artillery did not choose by age, gender, or religious and national affiliation," said Minister Mesihović, addressing on behalf of the KS delegation, which also included assembly members Marijela Hašimbegović and Jasmin Šaljić.

Recalling the verdicts for crimes committed in Sarajevo, Minister Mesihović emphasized that it is too little to convict only a few individuals for the suffering of all citizens of Sarajevo during four years of siege, let alone for more than 12,000 killed citizens and children, and more than 60,000 wounded.

"However, regardless of the past, our future must be built on the equality of all peoples and citizens. We must persevere in the ideas on which Bosnia and Herzegovina can and must survive, and these are the ideas of coexistence, mutual respect, and tolerance. And for that to happen, justice must be served, and the perpetrators of these terrible crimes, including the one we are marking today, must be adequately punished," concluded Minister Mesihović.

In addition to the families and friends of the murdered, flowers were also laid today and tribute was paid by representatives of the Association of Parents of Murdered Children of Besieged Sarajevo 1992-1995, the Union of Civilian War Victims of KS, the Deputy Mayor of Sarajevo Samir Avdić, representatives of the Old Town Municipality, and students and teachers of the Elementary School "Hamdija Kreševljaković"...