On August 24th, the 31st anniversary of the crime committed in 1993 in Rastani, Mostar, where nine civilians, including three children, were killed, was commemorated by laying flowers at the memorial, throwing lilies into the Neretva, and holding a religious program.
At the time, 17-year-old Zehra Zuskic lived in Rastani, in a family home that was far enough from military lines. She recalls that the summer of 1993 was very hot, and she remembers August 24th for the shelling. On that day, her 19-year-old brother Ramiz was killed in front of the house.
“At that point, we were already aware that something terrible was happening, that our people couldn’t repel the attack, that it was a catastrophe, the sky and the earth were on fire, everything was exploding, you didn’t know where it was coming from or what was happening anymore. Then a catastrophe struck our family – my brother was wounded by a shell, and it was so hot, we couldn’t stop the bleeding, and he passed away within a few hours,” she describes.
Her father, Hasan, soon went out to find a place to bury his son, but, according to eyewitnesses, he was captured and executed by the military. She says that to this day, she has no knowledge of who killed him. He was 47 years old and was later found in a mass grave alongside her brother. According to her, the bodies were moved several times.
In the first-instance verdict in the case against Mladen Naletilic, known as Tuta, and Vinko Martinovic, known as Stela, former commanders of the “Convicts’ Battalion” unit, it is stated that at the end of August 1993, control over Rastani was taken by the Croatian Defense Council (HVO).
Former commander of the HVO’s “Convicts’ Battalion” unit, Mladen Naletilic – previously sentenced to 20 years in prison for war crimes against civilians in the Mostar area – died at the age of 75.
Ibrahim Dumpor, president of the Rastani religious community, says that this year’s anniversary in 2024 will be marked with a religious program, the throwing of lilies into the Neretva, and the laying of flowers at the memorial.
He believes it is important to commemorate the anniversary of this crime so that it is not forgotten and hopes that the perpetrators will be brought to justice.
No one has yet been held accountable for the crime in Rastani. Among the units that entered the houses, the “Convicts’ Battalion” is mentioned. The houses in Rastani were set on fire, and a large group of Bosniaks was taken to the “Heliodrom” camp.
Adnin Hasic, a member of the Board of Directors of the Association of Civilian War Victims of the City of Mostar, says that on that day, three children aged nine to 13 were killed.
“The culture of remembrance is our duty, and we must all contribute to reminding and remembering the innocent victims so that such crimes do not happen in the future. In Mostar, crimes were committed at Uborak and Sutina, in Rastani, in Grabovica, crimes against Mostar Serbs, we have a series of crimes against civilians committed by indiscriminate shelling, and all those victims deserve to be honored and remembered,” he believes.
He says that judicial institutions must prosecute all crimes committed in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) and thus make it clear to everyone that war crimes do not expire.
“Only when the perpetrators are adequately punished can the victims and their families find peace,” he concludes, Detektor writes.
E.Dz.
