Organized by the City of Sarajevo, the “Day of White Ribbons – Prijedor” was marked on Wednesday with the premiere of the film “Strength of the Spirit” and the exhibitions “Shadows of Prijedor” and “Between Fears and Hope” in the Town Hall.
The “Day of White Ribbons” is commemorated on May 31, 1992, when the Prijedor Municipality Crisis Staff forced the non-Serb population to mark their homes with white sheets, and when they moved around the city they were forced to wear a white ribbon around their arms.
The mayor of Sarajevo, Benjamina Karić, emphasized that in 1992, the criminals intended the residents of Prijedor and its surroundings, the non-Serb population, to be completely destroyed.
“People werw brutally killed, taken to camps where they were exposed to the most terrible tortures and crimes that the human mind can hardly imagine. In a crime against humanity, more than 30,000 innocent people were imprisoned in the camps. More than 3,176 civilians were killed in Prijedor, more than 500 victims are still being searched for,” said Karić.
She reminded that the remains of Prijedor residents have so far been found in 501 locations in 73 mass graves, in the territory of ten municipalities, in the territory of three states. The bones of the murdered were often found several hundreds of kilometers from the place of the murders, which testifies to the systemic organization of the crime.
“Today, the silence of those who know the truth about the disappeared, and the large number of crime deniers, show that we must work with all our might to confront the past, because without justice for the victims, we cannot expect a better future. That is why the decision on the Day of Remembrance for the Victims of Crimes against Humanity in Prijedor, which was unanimously adopted by the councilors of the City of Sarajevo, is extremely important to me,” said the mayor.
She added that the Stanišić-Simatović verdict is historic, and that she hopes that next year in Prijedor, at least the first steps will be taken towards the construction of a monument for the murdered citizens of Prijedor.
Director of MESS and author of the film “Strength of Spirit” Nihad Kreševljaković emphasizes that he is very pleased that MESS is participating in the program dedicated to the “Day of White Ribbons – Prijedor” this year.
“ I am glad that we can contribute to preserve the memory of those people, their suffering and to remind of the fact that crimes do not become outdated, and that through the film ‘Strength of the Spirit’ we can show the other side of the story, considering that the film deals with returnees to Kozarac, a community that recorded the largest post-war return. I think it is important to point out the importance of people who, by their return, showed the criminals in the most courageous way that they failed in their intention,” concluded Kreševljaković.
