Remembering the Darkest Mark of Prijedor: White Ribbon Day Commemorated Today

(Patria) - Today marks the International Day of White Ribbons in remembrance of over 3,000 people killed in the Prijedor municipality from 1992 to 1995, including 102 murdered children. 

The central commemoration will be held in Prijedor, starting with a gathering at Stari Grad at 11:00 AM, at the site where a monument for the 102 murdered children of Prijedor will be erected. At 12:00 PM, participants are expected to arrive at the main square of Prijedor, where the main program for White Ribbon Day will be held, along with the laying of 102 roses bearing the names of the murdered children.

Participants of the White Ribbon Day commemoration are asked not to bring their own banners, wreaths, flowers, flags, or other symbols; instead, it is sufficient to wear a white ribbon on their arm.

In addition to Prijedor, White Ribbon Day will also be observed in the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sarajevo. The commemoration is scheduled to begin at 12:00 PM in front of the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, followed by a visit to the memorial for the murdered children of besieged Sarajevo, as well as Wilson's Promenade.

White Ribbon Day is observed worldwide as a day of remembrance for May 31, 1992, when the then-authorities in Prijedor ordered the non-Serb population to hang white sheets on their homes and wear white ribbons around their arms when going out.

“Citizens of Serbian nationality, join your army and police in the pursuit of these extremists. Other citizens, of Muslim and Croatian nationality, must hang white flags on their houses and apartments and put white ribbons on their arms. Otherwise, they will face severe consequences,” the order stated.

According to official information from victims' associations, 3,176 civilians were killed in Prijedor, while 31,000 people were detained in camps around Prijedor. The Research and Documentation Center in Sarajevo states that from 1991 to 1995, 5,209 citizens of Prijedor were killed or went missing in direct military actions, including 4,093 Bosniaks, 898 Serbs, and 182 Croats. 

For crimes committed in the Prijedor municipality, more than 50 verdicts have been handed down so far, and over 400 mass graves have been discovered, including Tomašica, the largest mass grave in the Balkans, discovered in 2013.