Citizens of Sarajevo, representatives of the City, Canton, Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and non-governmental organizations, paid tribute today to the 1,601 children killed during the siege of Sarajevo in 1992-1995.
The Association of Parents of Children Killed in the Siege of Sarajevo in 1992-1995 and numerous other delegations laid flowers at the Memorial to the Murdered Children of Sarajevo.
In a statement to reporters before the official ceremony, Sarajevo Canton Prime Minister Nihad Uk reminded the press of the importance of today’s day and of cherishing the memory of the victims, and he hopes that cases involving the killing of civilians and children during the siege of Sarajevo will be processed.
“Unfortunately, so many years later, there are no verdicts for the killing of children in the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina. We will insist on this in the coming period. Justice is slow, but regardless of the obstructions that have existed for decades, it must come to light,” he said.
The president of the Association of Parents of Murdered Children of the Besieged Sarajevo 1992-1995, Fikret Grabovica, says that it is particularly difficult for the parents of the murdered children to learn that there is no indictment, ‘that there is no punishment for those who committed such horrific crimes against the children of this city’.
“However, there is always hope. It is to be expected that, in the coming period, the circumstances in the Prosecutor’s Office will change and that they will finally do their job,” he said.
The vice president of the Association, Alija Hodžić, has similar feelings. As the parent of a murdered only child, he has painful memories of the years of suffering, especially of children, during the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina. He wonders how the criminals who committed all this can sleep peacefully.
“I cannot understand that our prosecutor’s office has not prosecuted anyone for the murder of children of the besieged Sarajevo. We have documentation for 1,601 murdered children. The children wounded during the war are especially telling, what their lives are like,” he said.
The Mayor of Sarajevo, Samir Avdić, believes that in general, a lot of work needs to be done on the culture of remembrance and that those who were killed should never be forgotten. He recalled the obligation to remember, especially on this day, the 1,601 innocent children who died in Sarajevo.
“As the mayor of this city, I emphasize that we will do everything to find those responsible and those guilty for the innocent children who died. I believe that we will succeed in this, that those responsible for these innocent victims will be held accountable,” he said.
In 2023, the Government of the Sarajevo Canton declared May 5 – the Day of Remembrance for the Murdered Children of Sarajevo, a Day of Mourning in the Sarajevo Canton with the aim of permanently preserving the memory of the 1,601 children killed during the siege of Sarajevo in the period from 1992 to 1995.
On this day, flags are lowered to half-mast on the buildings of the Sarajevo Canton institutions, as well as on the buildings of public companies and institutions.
KS calls on all citizens to remember the youngest fellow citizens who were killed with due respect and to express solidarity with the families of the victims and contribute to the dignified commemoration with their behavior.
