Nothing has been learned from the mistakes made by the international community during the commission of crimes in Bosnia and Herzegovina, it was emphasized today in Sarajevo at the commemoration of the 30th anniversary of the Markale massacre, in which 43 citizens of Sarajevo were killed and 84 injured by an aggressor shell near the City Market.
Mayor of Sarajevo Samir Avdić said that such difficult anniversaries are an obligation to remember those who built their lives into the foundations of Bosnia and Herzegovina and who in the time ahead of us must truly be seen as true heroes of the city of Sarajevo and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
“They lost their innocent lives because the criminal thought he could conquer Sarajevo, which never happened,” said Avdić.
Prime Minister of Sarajevo Canton Nihad Uk said that at the same moment that we are marking the anniversary of the Markale massacre, we have genocide in Gaza and aggression against Ukraine because the world has not learned from its mistakes in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
“I call on the judicial institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina to put the issue of prosecuting those responsible for the crimes in Sarajevo on the agenda and that this should not be a political issue because it is a legal issue that the victims, their families and all citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina deserve,” said Uk.
Director of the Institute for the Research of Crimes against Humanity and International Law UNSA Muamer Džananović stated that today, as part of marking the 30th anniversary of one of the most massive crimes that began in Sarajevo, they are presenting an exhibition that speaks about the continuity of mass crimes of the siege of Sarajevo, where they place equal emphasis on the mass crime committed in Markale in February 1994 as well as on the one committed in 1995.
The President of the Union of Civilian Victims of War of the Sarajevo Canton, Senida Karović, expressed disappointment that for the siege of Sarajevo, which lasted 1,425 days and for over 11,500 killed citizens – of which 1,601 were children – unfortunately we have only four verdicts, and those are from the Hague Tribunal for criminals with command responsibility.
After the commemoration, the Institute’s exhibition entitled “Crimes at Markale: Killing and Wounding of Civilians – Trial of Criminals, Denial of the Truth, Resistance to Oblivion” was opened, whose authors are Director Džananović, Senior Research Associate of the Institute Merisa Karović-Babić, and Expert Associate of the Institute Sead Muhić.
The exhibition brings documents, photographs, and videos that detail the massacres at the Sarajevo Markale market during the Siege of Sarajevo.
The exhibition will be on display at the Historical Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina from August 29 to September 15 and will be open to visitors, Fena writes.
