The 30th anniversary of the war crime against the Croats of the region, which was committed by members of the Army of RBiH in 1993 in the village of Trusina near Konjic, was marked on Sunday by laying wreaths and saying prayers.
The war crime took place in the morning hours and was committed by members of the special purpose unit “Zulfikar”, who killed 22 Croats, 18 of whom were civilians, and four captured members of the Croat Defense Council (HVO).
A member of the Association of Volunteers and Veterans of the Homeland War, Marko Romić, said that it is very important to mark and remember such events.
“Those that were killed were old men, women, children. They were unarmed, unprotected, unable to defend themselves and there was no reason to kill them. Likewise, captured, disarmed soldiers were killed, which is a great evil.
We must commemorate such events to make us aware that evil never sleeps. We should not be naive that peace will reign by itself and by itself if we do not work for it, and that is why it is important that we are today in Trusina, but also in all other places where such atrocities took place. It is important to remember them so that they never happen again anywhere, but it is also important for the sake of the victims, their families, and for all of us to raise awareness of how important it is to build peace,” said Romić.
Don Marin Marić, the parish priest in Obri and Solakova Kula, pointed out that every crime should be condemned, regardless of who committed it.
“Today, I want to say that Trusina’s message is legitimate truth and justice in love. When we all speak the truth and only the truth, we and society will progress, but if we fall under influence of those who sell us empty words, there will be neither truth, nor justice, nor love,” said Don Marin.
The Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina sentenced a former member of the Army of BiH, Edin Džeko, to 13 years in prison, while Rasema Handanović was sentenced to five and a half years in prison on the basis of a plea agreement for the war crime in Trusina.
Zulfkar Ališpago was originally charged along with five other members of the Bosnian Army troops – Mensur Memić, Dževad Salčin, Senad Hakalović, Nedžad Hodžić and Nihad Bojadžić.
However, due to his illness, the proceedings against him were separated from the others in March 2014.
Memić, Hodžić and Bojadžić were sentenced to a total of 37 years in prison for the murder of Croat civilians and captured soldiers in Trusina, while Salčin and Hakalović were acquitted.
