UDIK: Today marks the 30th Anniversary of the Abduction in Strpci

Today marks the thirtieth anniversary of the murder of civilians abducted from train 671 on the route Belgrade – Bar. The crime named “Abduction in Štrpci” took place on 27 February 1993 when members of the Serbian paramilitary unit under the command of Milan Lukid, with the logistical support from the Republic of Serbia, kidnapped a group of passengers from Belgrade – Bar train at Štrpci station near Višegrad, on Bosnian territory. They kidnapped and later killed twenty civilians: eighteen Bosniaks, one Croat and one unidentified person. To date, the remains of only four victims have been found. Most of those killed were citizens of Serbia or Montenegro.
For this crime was sentenced Nebojša Ranisavljevid to fifteen years in prison. Mido Jovičid received a five- year sentence after pleading guilty before Bosnian state court in 2016. Both have already served their sentences. Last year, the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina convicted seven members of the Second Podrinje Light Infantry Brigade of the VRS. In January 2023, the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina sentenced Boban Inđid to fifteen years in prison for complicity in the kidnapping of civilians in Štrpci and their murder in the Višegrad area. Three years ago, Bosnian state prosecution charged Milan Lukid, the wartime leader of the Avengers paramilitary group, with crimes against twenty passengers who were abducted from a train at Štrpci and then murdered. In February of this year, the High Court in Belgrade sentenced Gojko Lukid, Duško Vasiljevid and Jovan Lipovac to ten years in prison each, while Dragana Đekid was sentenced to five years in prison. The accused Ljubiša Vasiljevid died in July 2021.
We hereby express our regret for the shamefully low sentences with which the court in Belgrade sentenced four participants in this war crime. With the long process for the war crime, for which Belgrade is aware that it is very responsible, and with the amount of the sentence, the Court let everyone know that all those who are not from the Serbian people cannot see a protector in the state of Serbia. Instead of prolonging the process, Serbia could show with this trial how a state deals with its war criminals. It remains for Serbia not to completely fail the test of humanity, but to recognize the status of civilian victims of war to those killed, and to provide their families with appropriate financial compensation.
On the thirtieth anniversary, we remember the victims of kidnapping in Štrpci: Esad Kapetanovid, Ilijaz Ličina, Fehim Bakija, Šedo Softid, Rifet Husovid, Senad Đečevid, Ismet Babačid, Halil Zubčevid, Adem Alomerovid, Muhedin Hanid, Safet Preljevid, Džafer Topuzovid, Rasim Ćorid, Fikret Memovid, Favzija Zekovid, Nijazim Kajevid, Zvezdan Zuličid, Jusuf Rastoder, and Toma Buzov.