INNOCENT CHILDREN, WOMEN AND ELDERLY ABUSED IN "SILOS" CAMP JUST BECAUSE THEY WERE SERBS

TARČIN, JANUARY 27 /SRNA/ – Boško Tomić, the envoy of the Serb member of the BiH Presidency Željka Cvijanović, said that the highest officials of the so-called Army of BiH were aware of the "Silos" camp but did nothing to stop the killing and abuse of innocent Serb youth who lived on their ancestral homes in the Hadžići area.

He said that marking 30 years since the closure of the camp is an opportunity to once again pay tribute to innocent victims who were killed and abused solely because they were Serbs.

According to Tomić, they suffered simply because they were Serbs, because they spoke the Serbian language, and because they had neighbors they trusted-only to experience what should never have happened.

"We are here today to demand accountability from those who ordered the crimes, not only from the direct perpetrators of crimes against the innocent Serbian people,"Tomić told reporters.

He reiterated that the highest officials of the so-called Army of the Republic of BiH knew about the camp, visited it, yet took no action to stop the killings and abuse.

"These are horrific things. But come on, Bosniaks gentlemen, seek accountability from your own people as well. Do not attack everything that comes from Republika Srpska. Why do you oppose, and why does it concern you, how and in what manner the Government of Republika Srpska is formed, when the National Assembly is the body competent to do so?" Tomić asked.

According to him, the Bosniak political elite is trying by every possible means to diminish and endanger the interests of Republika Srpska and its institutions, but will not succeed.

He reiterated that neither the BiH Prosecutor’s Office nor the Court of BiH has done enough to punish those responsible for crimes against Serbs.

Tomić expressed satisfaction that, for the first time in 30 years since the closure of the "Silos" camp, representatives of the so-called international community, namely the OSCE and the British Embassy in BiH, were present.

"I am glad to see, for the first time, that someone from international organizations has come here and understands that innocent Serbs suffered during the war, people who were merely fighting for survival in these areas. Whoever committed crimes should be held accountable," Tomić noted.

He added that crimes committed in the "Silos" camp were without precedent, stressing that it is inconceivable that children, the elderly, and vulnerable civilians were imprisoned and tortured to death.

"That is why we demand that, if we want to live in this country, all those who wish harm to Republika Srpska and the Serb people come to their senses and allow Republika Srpska to decide on its own affairs, and the Federation of BiH on its own issues and interests," Tomić said.

He added that there is no need to interfere in one another’s lives and work, as there is enough space for everyone to live together in BiH.

"What is wrong with airports? What is wrong with hydropower plants? Just because these projects have Serbia’s support? We are not obstructing anyone," Tomić concluded.