Since the war until today, more than 22,500 missing persons were found and identified, from about 31,500 persons who were reported missing as a result of the war in BiH.
“Around 2,600 of exhumed and identified remains are located in 12 morgues and mausoleums in BiH. A total of 25,000 remains were exhumed so far, if we take into account the identified and unidentified remains,” said spokeswoman of the Missing Persons Institute of BiH Lejla Cengic, referring to the activities of identification of missing persons in the past 25 years, since the independence of BiH.
“Thus, more than 75 % of missing persons were found and identified, in relation to the total number of missing persons in BiH. This is a very significant result that was not realized by any other country in the world after the war,” stated Cengic.
She noted that a large number of mostly civilian victims, mass killings, and torture in concentration camps were recorded in the first months of the war in BiH.
“In July 1992 was established the State Commission for the exchange of prisoners of war, which besides the exchange, was focused on three categories of missing persons: persons who are believed to be alive, people who are considered to be dead and persons whose faith was unknown. Besides the State Commission for the exchange of prisoners of war, there was also the Commission for the exchange of prisoners of the Croatian Community of Herceg-Bosna and the Commission for the exchange of prisoners and missing persons from the RS,” reminded Cengic.
Cengic also added that remains were found in both mass and individual graves, adding that more than 750 mass graves with remains of three or more victims have been discovered. In some graves were found even hundreds of victims.
“Among 22,500 identified victims were around 600 minors,” stated Cengic.
She said that, despite the significant results, they are still facing with a large number of missing persons, adding that they are still searching for 7,000 missing persons.
“As time is passing by, the number and reliability of information about potential individual and mass graves are reduced. Today is very difficult to obtain new information, if we consider that more than two decades passed since the war. Information of surviving witnesses, information of The Hague tribunal, information based on satellite images, or images shot from the air platform, are mostly used,” stated Cengic.
(Source: faktor.ba)
