JUSTIFIED LAWSUITS AGAINST NATO ALLIANCE ANNOUNCED

BANJA LUKA, SEPTEMBER 9 /SRNA/ – Renowned surgeon Slavko Ždrale says that the announced lawsuits against NATO intended to compensate the Republika Srpska citizens who developed cancer due to the use of depleted uranium during the 1995 bombing and aimed at seeking justice and truth, are justified.

Ždrale told SRNA that judicial proceedings on this matter should be based on experiences from Italy and Serbia.

He reminded that during a professional meeting in East Sarajevo in 2019, in the presence of renowned diplomat Vladislav Jovanović, doctor Danica Grujičić, academician Marko Vuković, and general Slobodan Petković, the conclusion was made that Republika Srpska, together with Serbia, should initiate all available healthcare and legal resources through certain state institutions.

"All this is aimed at protecting people from the consequences of the brutal NATO bombing with depleted uranium and providing compensation," Ždrale, who is also a former director of Kasindo Hospital, stated.

He also pointed out that the official report from the Vinča Institute of Nuclear Sciences confirmed that Željko Samardžić from East Stari Grad suffered as a result of radiation exposure during the NATO bombing with depleted uranium.

“This man is still alive and fighting for his life after undergoing surgery for three tumors. He developed throat cancer and has lost the ability to speak. He is one of the examples of what happened after the NATO bombing,” said Ždrale.

He further highlighted that the most tragic aspect of this NATO operation was the long-term contamination of land and waterways with toxic salts from depleted uranium, especially in areas like the former Serb Sarajevo, Kalinovik, Han Pijesak, and Foča.

"All this negatively affects people's health, with skin and respiratory organs being particularly impacted. Statistics from 2000 and 2001 compared to 1995 showed a significant increase in the number of people suffering from malignant diseases, primarily in the respiratory system, gastrointestinal tract, and lymphatic tissue. During this period, mortality from malignancies more than doubled," Ždrale added.

Srđan Aleksić, a lawyer from Niš, whose office represents citizens of Serbia suffering from malignancies as a result of the NATO bombing, stated that the military alliance would be sued for compensation on behalf of every citizen of Republika Srpska who developed cancer due to the use of depleted uranium during the 1995 bombing.

East Sarajevo is marking today the Day of Remembrance for those killed in the NATO bombing of Republika Srpska, during which depleted uranium ammunition was used. 47 soldiers of the Republika Srpska Army were killed, along with at least 7 civilians, while over 100 soldiers were wounded and 21 civilians severely injured.

During the 16 days of bombing in Republika Srpska, NATO forces dropped over 1,000 bombs totaling around 10,000 tons of explosives.

In addition, depleted uranium munitions were used, the effects of which the population feels today.