This morning, Charge d’Affaires of the U.S. Embassy to BiH Nicholas Hill accompanied Mrs. Slobodanka Macanovic to Kazani near Trebevic, the site where many civilian victims – mostly ethnic Serb residents of Sarajevo – were murdered during 1992 and 1993, including Ms. Macanovic’s parents, Radoslav and Marina Komljenac.
The two laid flowers at the edge of the pit and discussed the many unknowns that remain in the cases of victims killed at Kazani. Ms. Macanovic has received confirmation that her mother’s partial remains were among those exhumed from Kazani, but she and her sister Davorka are still awaiting identification of their father’s remains. The Chargé assured Ms. Macanovic that helping families of the deceased find closure remains a U.S. priority. He underscored that sites of war crimes must be located and remains of victims exhumed, identified, and buried with dignity, and justice served. For individuals, families, and communities to heal, it is essential that all relevant institutions rededicate themselves to working cooperatively in this important effort.
Judiciary institutions, to include the Prosecutors Office of BIH and the Institute for Missing Persons, have a vital role in the identification of sites and remains they may contain. The International Commission on Missing Persons continues to work as well to ensure that every innocent victim can ultimately be buried with respect. The families that lost loved ones at Kazani deserve no less. Likewise, we commend the initiative to provide a dignified memorial to the enduring memory of the Kazani victims.
ST
