Inadmissible that no one has yet been held Accountable for Murder​ of 305 Serbs

The president of the Association of Women Victims of War of the Republika Srpska, Bozica Zivkovic-Rajilic, stated today that it is inadmissible that no one has yet been held accountable for the brutal murders of 305 Serbs in the Skelani area, which clearly shows that the judiciary at BiH level selectively.

“Is it possible that after 28 years, no one was responsible for the cruel crimes in Skelani. It seems that the BiH judiciary only recognizes Bosniak victims, while they are not interested in Serbs,” said Rajilic.

She stated that, in spite of everything, Serbian victims must not be forgotten. Rajilic expressed hope that the time will come when those who committed them, as well as their perpetrators, will be held accountable for the cruel crimes.

A memorial service was held today at the central monument for the 305 killed Serb civilians and soldiers in Skelani, near Srebrenica, and tribute was paid to the killed Serbs from this place and neighboring villages, 69 of whom died on that day 28 years ago.

Several thousand soldiers from Srebrenica, under the command of Naser Oric, attacked the Serb villages around Skelani at dawn on January 16, 1993, and invaded this place on the banks of the Drina. Muslim units stormed villages before dawn, killing and slaughtering civilians sleeping in their homes.

As many as 69 residents of this area were killed that day, and two thirds of the victims were civilians, including several children, Srna news agency writes.

Oric was put on trial and eventually acquitted in October 2017. Subsequently, the prosecution managed to overrule this decision and secure a retrial. The chief prosecutor said the verdict was based on “imaginary evidence” and accused the judge of delivering a different version of the verdict compared to the written document.