LINTA: AT LEAST 130 SERBS KILLED IN GOSPIĆ, 70 STILL MISSING

BELGRADE, OCTOBER 18 /SRNA/ - The fight to shed light on the crimes against Serbs in Gospić must not be abandoned, as at least 130 Serbs were killed there 35 years ago, and around 250 were arrested and taken to an unknown destination, Miodrag Linta, president of the Alliance of Serbs from the Region, said.

Linta reminded that more than 60 Serbs from Gospić were taken from their homes and apartments and executed between October 16 and 18, 1991. He stressed that at least 70 victims of the crimes were still missing, the Alliance of Serbs from the Region said in a statement.

"The monstrous crime in Gospić was not an isolated incident, but the culmination of systematic pressure, threats and discrimination to which Serbs were subjected from the time Franjo Tuđman’s regime came to power in May 1990," Linta stressed.

He noted that an Orthodox church in Gospić was razed to the ground in early November 1991.

"This was not merely the destruction of a religious building, but also an attack on the spiritual heritage and historical presence of the Serb people in this city. The aim of demolishing the church and destroying homes was to erase the traces of the existence of Serbs who had lived in these areas for centuries," Linta said.

According to him, only a small number of those involved in the premeditated crimes against Serbs in Gospić have been finally convicted: Tihomir Orešković was sentenced to 15 years in prison, Mirko Norac to 12 years, and Stjepan Grandić to 10 years.

"However, many members of the Croatian military and police structures who took part in the arrests and in organizing and carrying out the executions have not been brought to justice. It is our moral and national duty to preserve the memory of the innocent victims, demand that the fate of the missing be established, and pass the truth on to future generations," Linta said.