DOBRIĆ: AS LONG AS I LIVE, I WILL SEEK JUSTICE FOR MY SON

MRKONJIĆ GRAD, AUGUST 4 /SRNA/ – Nevenka Dobrić, whose 12-year-old son Siniša was killed in the refugee convoy by the Croatian army while fleeing from Sisak toward Kostajnica, said in Mrkonjić Grad that she would keep seeking justice for her son for as long as she lives and would fight to ensure those responsible are held accountable.

At the central commemoration of the Day of Remembrance for All Serbs Killed and Expelled during the 1995 Croatian-Muslim pogrom against Serbs from Republika Srpska Krajina and Republika Srpska, Dobrić recalled the events of the tragic day on which she lost both her son Siniša and her father-in-law, Petar.

"The Croatian army cut off the convoy in which we were fleeing from Crkveni Bok near Sisak toward Kostajnica and killed Siniša and Petar, who were in the tractor cab, by shooting them with 12 bullets. The tractor trailer in which I was riding also overturned," Dobrić said.

Thanks to the courage of Krajina women, she says, her son's body was not left in the forest but was recovered and buried in what was then Bosanska Kostajnica. A year later, his remains were transferred to Sremska Kamenica, where she now lives with her husband and older son.

"My father-in-law Petar is still listed as a missing person," she said.

Dobrić stressed that she has spent more than 30 years seeking justice and that there is no institution she has not appealed to in an effort to have her son officially recognised as a civilian victim of war.

"I still haven't succeeded. My child still cannot rest in peace because my wounds remain open. Every August 4, I tell my story again, hoping it will reach those who administer justice, always asking the same question: if my son Siniša is not recognised as a civilian victim of war, are there any Serb civilian victims of war in Croatia?" Dobrić asked.

She stressed that for as long as she lives, she will keep seeking justice for her son, fight to ensure those responsible are brought to justice, and make sure that her story is never forgotten.

The central commemoration of the Day of Remembrance for All Serbs Killed and Expelled during the 1995 Croatian-Muslim pogrom against Serbs from Republika Srpska Krajina and Republika Srpska is currently underway in Mrkonjić Grad.

A memorial service for the Serb victims is being served in King Peter I Karađorđević Square by His Holiness Patriarch Porfirije of Serbia, concelebrated by bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church.

The commemoration is attended by presidents of Republika Srpska and Serbia, Siniša Karan and Aleksandar Vučić, President Milorad Dodik, Republika Srpska National Assembly Speaker Nenad Stevandić, Serbia’s National Assembly Speaker Ana Brnabić, Republika Srpska Prime Minister Savo Minić, and Serb BiH Presidency member Željka Cvijanović.

Also attending are Republika Srpska Minister of Labour, War Veterans and Disabled Persons Protection Radan Ostojić, Republika Srpska Minister of Interior Željko Budimir, Serbia’s Minister of Labour, Employment, Veterans and Social Affairs Milica Đurđević Stamenkovski, Serbia’s Defence Minister Bratislav Gašić, and Deputy Defence Minister in the BiH Council of Ministers Aleksandar Goganović.

The event is also attended by Serb representatives in BiH joint institutions, officials from municipalities and cities across Republika Srpska, and representatives of organisations stemming from the Defensive-Patriotic War.

Former Serbian basketball stars Željko Rebrača and Dejan Tomašević are also present in Mrkonjić Grad.