International Day of the Missing Marked in Tuzla: Families of Victims Have Done More for Reconciliation Than All Politicians Combined

(Patria) - For three decades in Bosnia and Herzegovina, we have been pointing out to the public that every piece of information about the missing is of invaluable importance for truth, justice, and the inner peace of families who are still searching for their loved ones, that is, for 7,581 missing persons, said Emza Fazlić, spokesperson for the Institute for Missing Persons of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

“Victims are not just a number, but permanent wounds. Paying tribute means listening to the voices of their families. Families remain trapped in pain without the basic justice of learning the truth about their loved ones. Such crimes do not become obsolete, and the most important thing is to ensure the truth for the families. These are not just individual tragedies, but individual wounds that remain forever open,” said Agnes Picod, head of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.

This day is also an opportunity to provide support to those still searching for the remains of their family members in their quest for truth and justice, and the more than 26,000 found are the result of efforts invested by many partners in the search for the missing.

“Every family carries its own pain and story, and courage that has inspired all of us for years. Our mission is not a technical task, but an obligation that transcends both borders and generations,” said Elma Majstorić Ninković from ICMP.

She reminded that the number of missing persons found is a huge result, that families are the heart and strength of the process, and that around 100,000 people voluntarily donated their DNA to help the search. Their struggle, she emphasized, is not only for the family, but for the entire society.

Irfan Sulejmani from the International Committee of the Red Cross emphasized that this organization will continue to support the search for the missing and demand that BiH institutions work harder on this process. He added that the Red Cross will always be an advocate for the right of families to learn the truth about their loved ones.

“Today we stand together in silence and dignity, faced with one of the deepest wounds left by the war in BiH. We will always remain advocates for the right of families to learn the truth. Without their strength and persistence, nothing that has been done so far would have been possible,” said Sulejmani.

“One day of remembrance, a lifetime of waiting” is the message of this year's observance of the International Day of the Missing, which was marked in Tuzla. The president of the Association of Victims of Foča 92-95, Midheta Kaloper, said it is regrettable that representatives of state institutions did not come, even though families have made efforts to get answers about their loved ones.

“33 years of waiting is not a small thing. I am sorry that there are no representatives of BiH institutions here to send them a message, for who knows how many times, asking where our loved ones are. That is a question for all of us in BiH. Is it possible that no one knows where they are?” said Kaloper.

“You, the families of the victims, have done more for reconciliation in BiH than all the politicians combined,” was the message from Nikola Perišić, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Institute for Missing Persons of BiH, delivered during the observance of the International Day of the Missing.

“Whether we have fulfilled our mission at the Institute for Missing Persons of BiH is for you to judge. Our guiding principle was to fulfill that mission in a humane way with the families. The current awareness of all levels of government in BiH, unfortunately, testifies that they have no understanding for the pain of families, who have done more than all of them together,” said Perišić.

The International Day of the Missing is observed on August 30, as a day of remembrance and paying tribute to tens of thousands of people around the world who have gone missing in armed conflicts, crimes against humanity, or due to violations of basic human rights, Detektor writes.