Killed in the Water Queue: 33rd Anniversary of the Halači Street Massacre Marked

(Patria) - By laying flowers and paying tribute at the massacre site, family members, representatives of associations, and cantonal, city, and municipal authorities marked the 33rd anniversary of the murder of eight of our fellow citizens in Halači Street near number 5.

Dženan Aljević, Mahir Ferhatović, Tarik Harba, Esma Muratović, Meluha Muratović – Spahić, Almasa Spahić, Mahira Spahić, and Ismet Suljić were killed by members of the Army of Republika Srpska, who fired a grenade on this day in 1992, from the shrapnel of which the fellow citizens standing in line for water were killed.

In that massacre, six more civilians of besieged Sarajevo were seriously and lightly injured.

On behalf of Sarajevo Canton, the anniversary commemoration was attended by Jasmin Šaljić, a member of the Sarajevo Canton Assembly, and Kenan Dinar, a representative of the KS Ministry of Communal Economy, Infrastructure, Spatial Planning, Construction, and Environmental Protection.

"Today we remember those killed at this place, but also all those killed during the aggression against Sarajevo and Bosnia and Herzegovina. We talk about them because it is extremely important, not only for the past and present, but especially for the future. By marking this sad day, we not only pay tribute to the fellow citizens who were killed, but we also send a message that we will not forget. Places of remembrance, and today we are at one of them, are not just reminders of suffering and hardship, but also warnings for the future. It is a simple reminder – to do everything to never allow such crimes to happen again," Dinar said.

He reminded that Sarajevo survived the longest siege of modern times, the siege by the Army of Republika Srpska, which made no distinction in killing. Everyone was a target, regardless of age, gender, religion, or nationality.

"In the longest encirclement of our city in modern history, more than 12,000 people were killed, including 1,601 children. These are huge numbers that we must not utter lightly, because each of them represents a name, a face, a story, and the immeasurable grief of families. Justice is our debt to the victims. For the crimes committed in Sarajevo, international courts have convicted only a small number of those responsible – Stanislav Galić, Dragomir Milošević, and Ratko Mladić. Verdicts are important, but they are not enough on their own. Justice is not only in punishments, justice is also in acknowledging the truth, in fighting against denial, and in our unwavering determination to teach new generations about these events," Dinar said, concluding that the denial of such crimes does not deny the past, it sabotages the future.

Therefore, it is necessary to insist on the truth, because only with truth can trust be built, and trust is the foundation of any life together, it was stated at today's commemoration of the sad anniversary.