DODIK: PODRINJE AND BIRAČ ARE A SYMBOL OF GREAT SERB SUFFERING; IT IS OF GREAT IMPORTANCE THAT WE COME IN LARGE NUMBERS TO BRATUNAC TOMORROW

BANJA LUKA, JULY 3 /SRNA/ - President Milorad Dodik said that Middle Podrinje and Birač are a lasting symbol of the immense suffering of the Serb people, stressing that Serb victims must not be forgotten and that, if Serbs themselves are not determined and persistent in marking the tragic dates of their history, no one else will do so.

"Therefore, it is of crucial importance that we gather in large numbers in Bratunac tomorrow. I call on Serbs from Republika Srpska and the Republic of Serbia to come en masse and jointly attend the commemoration of more than three decades since the great Serb suffering in Middle Podrinje and Birač," Dodik told SRNA.

He emphasized that this part of Republika Srpska is more soaked in blood and tears than in rain, because the 3,267 killed Serbs are not just a number or a dry historical statistic, but a powerful figure representing Serbs whom Muslim criminals led by Naser Orić killed, tortured, whose eyes they gouged out, whose throats they slit, and whom they burned alive.

Dodik said that each unit in the number 3,267 represents a name, a child whose smile was replaced by a scream, a stolen childhood, an unfulfilled dream, a homeowner killed on his doorstep or at a Slava or Christmas table, and a brave Serb fighter who defended his home, leaving children without a father and a household without its head.

"No year that passes can diminish the void left by those who never returned to their homes and families. Their names remain permanently inscribed in the collective memory of our people, and it is our duty and obligation to mention them with respect and to pass on the truth about their suffering to future generations. It is also a sacred duty and obligation to come in as large numbers as possible to the memorial service, light a candle, and pay tribute. We owe them at least that much for the freedom we have today, because their lives were built into the foundations of our Republika Srpska," Dodik said.

He said that every day the pain of their sacrifice grows, as does the silence of the world, law, and justice, which continue to turn away from their graves, the tears of Serb mothers, and their black headscarves.

"Despite all injustice, we must remember, we must nurture a culture of remembrance so that history does not repeat itself, as it has done many times before, because we were hurt by Serb naivety when we trusted Muslim neighbors who were only waiting for us in their sights. We must not remain silent; we must speak, because if we remain silent, no one will mention our victims and their suffering. The Serb sacrifice obliges us to preserve the truth and not allow it to be covered by a veil of silence or forgetfulness. Our duty towards our victims is not only to light a candle once a year and bow our heads, but to remember them every day, to speak of them, and to defend Podrinje and every inch of the suffering Serb land with new life, new births, rebuilt homes, cultivated fields, and every church whose bells ring again over the Drina," Dodik said.

He said that Podrinje and the Serb people have, despite everything, survived, are living, and will continue to live, and that as long as even one of us remains to light a candle for the souls of our 3,267 ancestors, those victims will also continue to live with us in a free Republika Srpska.

"Eternal glory to the 3,267 Serbs from Middle Podrinje and Birač who perished. Their sacrifice will never be forgotten, and their suffering remains a lasting reminder and a pledge that we will proudly, with dignity and courage, as they did, preserve their memory, our identity, our Republika Srpska, and its institutions," Dodik said.