The 34th anniversary of one of the most horrific crimes committed during the aggression against Bosnia and Herzegovina was commemorated by laying flowers in front of the reconstructed house on Bikavac.
The commemoration was organized by the Association “Woman – War Victim.” After gathering in front of the site of suffering, representatives of the association and guests addressed the attendees, reminding them that the victims must not be forgotten.
Heading the column of remembrance, which has been searching for the truth about one of the biggest crimes in Višegrad for 34 years, was Esad Tufekčić. In the “living pyre” on Bikavac, he lost almost his entire family. His son Ensar was only two, and his daughter Elma was five years old when they, along with their mother and dozens of other women, children, and elderly people, were burned alive in Meho Aljić’s house.
Among those who laid flowers was also Denis Bećirović, Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina. A religious programme and a tour of the crime scene were also organized. The commemoration programme continued with the recitation of Yasin and dua, and the performing of the Dhuhr prayer at the Emperor’s Mosque, after which the participants visited the Stražište city cemetery and paid tribute to the killed Bosniaks of Višegrad.
According to judicially established facts by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, on June 27, 1992, members of the paramilitary formation led by Milan Lukić locked more than 70 Bosniak civilians inside Meho Aljić’s house. After firing into the interior of the building and throwing in hand grenades, they set the house on fire. Mostly women, children, and the elderly perished in the flames.
Esad Tufekčić’s tragic fate became a symbol of the suffering of Višegrad Bosniaks. For over three decades, he, together with other families of the victims, has been searching for answers as to where the mortal remains of his loved ones ended up. His children, Ensar and Elma, were never found. Even today, the victims’ families do not have a place where they can honor their loved ones with dignity.
The president of the Association “Woman – War Victim,” Bakira Hasečić, reminded that during the exhumation in 2016 in the house of Meho Aljić, only two or three burnt bone fragments were found, from which it was impossible to establish DNA or the identity of the victims.
“Unfortunately, not a single bone has been found to date. Višegrad remains silent, and I am deeply saddened by that,” Hasečić said.
Especially painful for the families is the fact that, even 34 years later, the location where the remains of the house and the victims’ bodies were taken has still not been discovered. Evidence and testimonies indicate that the mortal remains were removed, and the search continues today.
The massacre on Bikavac occurred just 13 days after another “living pyre” in Višegrad’s Pionirska Street, where on June 14, 1992, around 70 Bosniak civilians from the Koritnik settlement were burned alive in the house of Adem Omeragić. Among them were women, children, the elderly, and a baby just two days old.
Burning Bosniak civilians alive represents the pinnacle of the crimes committed against the Bosniaks of Višegrad as part of a planned and organized campaign of persecution and destruction of the Bosniak population, which has been confirmed by the verdicts of international and domestic courts.
The judges of the Hague Tribunal described these crimes as some of the worst examples of inhumane treatment due to their exceptional cruelty, premeditation, and brutality.
For the crimes in Višegrad, Milan Lukić, Sredoje Lukić, MitarVasiljević, and Radomir Šušnjar were convicted by a final verdict, but the victims’ families believe that justice has not been served, as many participants in the crime have never been held accountable.
The only person to survive the crime on Bikavac was Zehra Turjačanin, who, despite severe burns and shrapnel wounds, managed to escape the burning house. Her testimony became a piece of key evidence before the Hague Tribunal, which sentenced Milan Lukić to life imprisonment.
Even after 34 years, the families are not seeking revenge, but the truth. In the Višegrad area, 467 people are still missing, while the mortal remains of 453 victims have been identified so far. For Esad Tufekčić and dozens of other families, the search will not be over until they find at least one bone of their loved ones and a place where they can recite Al-Fatiha for them.
