33 YEARS SINCE THE BRUTAL MURDER OF PRIEST NEDELJKO POPOVIĆ COMMEMORATED

TRNOVO, JUNE 10 /SRNA/ – A commemoration was held today in the courtyard of the Church of the Holy Great Martyr George in Trnovo to mark 33 years since the martyrdom of priest Nedeljko Popović, who was brutally killed by members of the so-called Army of BiH.

The Mayor of Trnovo Miroslav Bjelica told reporters that today marks 33 years since the death of Father Popović, who had tried to save several civilians from the village of Lisojević.

"During this attempt, he encountered a blockade set up by the so-called Army of BiH, where he was captured and taken to Godinjske Bare. He was held with other civilians in a garage and later savagely murdered. We, the people of Trnovo, are pained by the fact that no one has ever been held accountable for the murder of Father Popović or for other crimes committed in this area," said Bjelica.

He questioned whether there is anyone within the judiciary who would ask why no one has answered for the crimes in Trnovo, a particularly small and underdeveloped community.

"This is a very sad day for us, especially for me and many others of my generation, as it was Father Popović who baptized us," Bjelica added.

The President of the Association of Detainees of the Municipality of Trnovo Ranko Timotija said he personally knew Father Popović, who was always ready to help, and is remembered fondly by the people.

"Father Popović served in Trnovo from 1977 until 1992. He was a man loved by all residents. The people will surely never forget him, and we will gather here every year to pay our respects," said Timotija.

He recalled that at the start of the war in 1992, because of his goodness, Popović - unarmed - tried to save wounded Serbs and civilians, but was captured at a barricade by members of the so-called Army of BiH.

"Not long afterward, he was killed in a brutal manner. During the autopsy, pathologists were shocked and horrified by the atrocity committed against him," emphasized Timotija, who is also a member of the Presidency of the Association of Detainees of Republika Srpska.

He stated that the Trnovo Detainee Association will continue to commemorate the death of Father Popović, for which no one has yet been held responsible.

"We constantly insist and appeal to the judiciary for accountability for all crimes committed in Trnovo. There was a case brought against Edhem Godinjak and others, who were unfortunately acquitted," Timotija reminded.

He noted that during the Defensive-Patriotic War, more than 100 civilians and children were killed in this municipality, and there were also instances of torture and several detention camps.

Goran Timotija, President of the Organization of Families of Captured and Killed Soldiers and Missing Civilians of the Municipality of Trnovo in Republika Srpska, emphasized that today is a sorrowful day for the local community, as Father Popović was captured near the area of Pendičići while trying to save civilians from Lisojević.

"He believed that, through his priestly influence, he might be able to persuade Muslim forces to let the civilians go. However, he was captured and, together with two soldiers of the Army of Republika Srpska, taken to Godinjske Bare, where, according to witness statements, he was executed by HOS members in a nearby forest," Timotija said.

He noted that Jovo Elez, a witness to the events, found the location of the priest's remains after the liberation of Trnovo.

Timotija added that it is very important for younger generations to remember such events so that the atrocities—showing the extent of the suffering of the Serb people in Trnovo—are never repeated.

At the beginning of the Defensive-Patriotic War, units of the so-called Army of BiH took control of Trnovo, carried out terror against the population, burned down the parish home and church, and on June 10, 1992, Father Nedeljko Popović was brutally tortured and murdered.

After the liberation of Trnovo in the summer of 1993, the mortal remains of Father Popović were found and buried in the courtyard of the Church of the Holy Great Martyr George.