Remembering the Massacre of April 12, '93: 74 Balloons for 74 Killed That Day

SARAJEVO, (Patria) - At the school playground in Srebrenica, the 27th anniversary of the massacre in Srebrenica, in which 74 people were killed and 100 wounded, was marked today. 

Instead of the usual large gathering of families of the victims, representatives of institutions and associations, 74 balloons were placed on the playground today, symbolising the lost lives, especially considering that the majority of those killed were minors and children.

The massacre occurred about a month after the major offensive of the Army of Republika Srpska, which reduced the size of the Srebrenica enclave from 900 square kilometres to just 145 from the beginning of March 1993.

Conditions in the enclave were difficult, and all the conditions of a humanitarian catastrophe, famine, were met, while the population from other parts of eastern Bosnia was arriving in the enclave. However, the population's faith in salvation was restored after Philippe Morillon promised in Srebrenica on March 12 of that year that he would place the enclave under the protection of the United Nations. 

"A month after Morillon's arrival, the attacks continued, but with a greatly reduced intensity. People in Srebrenica were waiting for the adoption of a resolution by the UN Security Council. I went to the playground with friends to play football. We had been in apartments and houses for days due to shelling. It became unbearable... Longing for freedom and play, we recklessly went to the playground on that fateful day.... Upon arriving at the playground, I saw that the stands were full, and I sat down on the first stand with two friends, Samed and Adis. Two teams were playing football and we were watching them and waiting for our turn," recounts Hasan Hasanović.

"Suddenly, I hear explosions outside Srebrenica, Samed says 'now they will shell here,' and I reply they won't because of Morillon. Suddenly I saw black smoke in front of me about 4 metres away and heard an explosion from the impact of which I fell unconscious. I wake up a few minutes later and see horror, dismembered bodies, screams and moans from all sides. Behind me, I see boys without heads, arms, legs... Those still alive are moaning... I threw myself to the ground waiting for more shelling.. I lift my head and see pieces of hair and skin hanging on the fence.. I get up and run to a nearby house, and inside it everyone is wounded... I check myself to see if I am wounded too. Fortunately, I am not.. My family watched everything from the kitchen window knowing I was at the playground. My father came to turn over the dead to look for me. When I came home, everyone was surprised, but happy that I survived. This survived massacre had a great impact on me later. I began to be afraid like never before. Unfortunately, this was not the last massacre and trauma I had to survive. This was just an introduction to what would come later," adds Hasanović.

A memorial plaque was placed eight years ago. Pieces of mutilated bodies were collected and buried in Kazani.

"Sead Bekrić from Voljavica lost his sight at the age of 16 after being wounded, interviewed by Christiane Amanpour from CNN in Tuzla. He lives in the USA with his family. He testified in The Hague. Dr. Nedret Mujkanović testified in The Hague about this massacre. The people who survived were key to telling our story and establishing the responsibility of the commanders led by Radovan Karadžić and Ratko Mladić. This massacre completely exposed the genocidal intent of the Army of Republika Srpska. Those killed at this place, at least briefly, opened the eyes of the international community. Security Council Resolution 819 was adopted, and 4 days after the massacre, Srebrenica was declared a UN safe zone," concludes Hasanović.