DODIK: TIME PASSES, BUT SEARCH FOR THE MISSING AND THEIR MEMORY MUST NEVER FADE

BANJA LUKA, AUGUST 30 /SRNA/ - Commemorating the Day of the Missing and Fallen in the Defensive-Patriotic War is a moment of profound human pain, but also a call for unwavering perseverance in the search for truth and justice, President Milorad Dodik stressed.

"August 30 is a day of significance for Republika Srpska because it is a day when silence speaks louder than any words, when uncertainty grows, and when memory remains the strongest link to those who, even 31 years after the end of the Defensive-Patriotic War, have not found their final resting place in Republika Srpska," Dodik stressed in a statement to SRNA on the occasion of today’s commemoration near the Monastery of St. Nicholas on Mount Ozren in the municipality of Petrovo.

He reminded that Republika Srpska is still searching for 1,616 people, including 981 civilians and 10 children.

"Imagine a parent, a brother or a sister who still has not found the remains of a loved one. They continue to live with pain and grief, carrying an eternal wound that does not heal, because disappearance is not simply leaving and returning. It is much worse - a disappearance filled with uncertainty and years and decades of waiting.

The disappearance of loved ones was a permanent uncertainty weighing on the souls of families, whose lives were condemned to waiting for news that turns into decades spent between hope and harsh reality", President Dodik pointed out.

Dodik stressed that every name on the list of missing persons is not simply the number 1,616 or a statistic, but someone’s father, mother, son, daughter, brother or sister, neighbor, friend or fellow citizen.

"Behind every name is a life, a home that is waiting. A mother who looked through the window, a father who hoped for a return, who may no longer be alive and may have gone to the grave carrying that eternal wound. Perhaps a wife, sister or brother remains, preserving memories and hoping, or a child who grew up without a father, with a photograph and the eternal question: 'Why did you never come home, Dad?'" Dodik said.

He noted that the years pass, but the waiting does not end, and that hope mixed with grief remains that one day traces of loved ones will be found and a place identified where families can light a candle for them with dignity.

"These were people with their dreams, hopes and plans, violently cut short by war. After giving their lives for Republika Srpska and helping lay its foundations, their killing has continued for 31 years, day after day, because every day brings a new hope to their families that the remains of their loved ones will be found. This uncertainty further destroys not only their souls, but all of us who live in Republika Srpska," Dodik stressed.

He said that by marking this day, people were speaking not only about the past, but also about the present and future, as well as the moral obligation of every resident of Republika Srpska not to forget, to continue the search and finally learn the fate of every missing person.

"As long as there is even one person without a grave, or whose grave remains unknown, neither can nor should we be at peace. We cannot and must not watch our fellow citizens live lives full of uncertainty, while at the same time holding on to the hope that justice will one day be served.

And most importantly, what is human and Christian, we must not allow time to do the worst thing - cover with oblivion what must never be forgotten," Dodik said.

By bowing today before the memory of those who went missing, Dodik added, society was also offering words of comfort to those who had suffered the greatest losses and who, with faith and patience, continued to hope for a moment of peace.

"Therefore, let this day remind us of the priceless value of life, the pain of loss and our responsibility to preserve the truth. The search for our missing must continue, although in this quasi-state of BiH it has long since become political and selective when it comes to Serbs," Dodik pointed out.

He cited as evidence the fact that in 2009, of 1,207 identified persons, only 22 were Serbs; in 2008, 10 were identified as Serbs; and in 2007, 11 persons of Serbian nationality were identified.

"If the Missing Persons Institute continues at this 'pace' when it comes to finding missing Serbs, it will take more than 150 years to find and identify the 1,660 people we are searching for," he said.

Dodik said families of missing persons have the right to answers, regardless of how much time has passed or their nationality, but that the treatment of Serb victims by the Missing Persons Institute once again confirmed, in his view, that it was a political institution, despite its highly humanitarian mandate and the importance it holds for every family searching for a loved one.

"Despite everything, Republika Srpska and its institutions will not give up, because we do not forget, we do not give up and we seek the truth. This is also the importance of preserving collective memory and continuing the search for all missing persons, as well as ensuring that families receive truth, justice and dignity," Dodik stated.

He stressed that for families who have lived for decades with uncertainty and anticipation, finding the missing is a matter of life itself that cannot be measured against anything else. He said it remains one of the most important issues and a lasting obligation to ensure that the fate of their missing loved ones is not forgotten.

"Time passes, but memory must not pass. It is our duty to preserve the memory of those who never returned home, to respect their families and to pass the truth and the culture of remembrance on to future generations," Dodik said.

Marking the Day of the Missing and Fallen, an event of significance for Republika Srpska, is organized by the Republika Srpska Government Committee for Nurturing the Tradition of Liberation Wars.

Since 2021, Republika Srpska has observed the Day of the Missing and Fallen in the Defensive-Patriotic War on August 30, which is also observed as the International Day of the Disappeared, established in memory of victims of wars, crimes against humanity and human rights violations.