In the Serbian city of Loznica, the reconstruction and installation of 28 tombstones for refugees and migrants who lost their lives in the Drina River, on the border between Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, has been completed.
The graves include 19 burial sites of unidentified persons at the City Cemetery, as well as nine gravestones for identified victims at the Islamic Cemetery. The memorials were erected as part of a joint initiative by the organizations Djeluj.ba, SOS Balkanroute from Austria, and Leave No One Behind from Germany, with the support of donors from Austria and Germany.
Among those buried are a ten year old Syrian boy, Ahmadi Parwiz, and the youngest victim, nine month old baby Lana, who was buried alongside her mother, while their father was laid to rest beside them. They died on August 23, 2024, when 12 people drowned in the Drina River during a single night.
“Lana’s death symbolizes the extreme vulnerability of people on the move and a system that leaves them without protection,” said Petar Rosandić, President of SOS Balkanroute.
At the Islamic Cemetery, a deeply moving letter by Muhammed Hilal was read aloud. Hilal lost his brother, his brother’s wife, and their baby in the Drina River.
“Although almost a year and a half has passed since our tragedy, the pain remains the same, as if everything happened yesterday,” the letter read.
The commemoration was attended by guests from Italy, Austria, and Germany, as well as Cardinal Ladislav Nemet, Archbishop of Belgrade, and Belgrade imam Tafa ef. Beriša, Klix.ba writes.
In his address, Cardinal Nemet emphasized the immeasurable value of every human life.
“Every human being has infinite worth. If Lana and the others had been born elsewhere, they could have freely come to Europe. Wars, violence, and climate change drive migration. Whether we call it legal or illegal does not change human dignity. God is far more merciful than all our laws, regulations, and border police,” he said.
Speaking on behalf of the organizers, Nihad Suljić of Djeluj.ba and Petar Rosandić said their goal went beyond restoring graves.
“Our aim was not only to arrange burial sites, but to preserve memory and restore dignity to people who did not have it even on their final journey. If they were denied a dignified life, let them at least have dignity in death,” they said.
Suljić added that the average age of the victims was just 23 years.
“Their only ‘sin’ was having a weak passport.”
