KARAN: LASTING REMEMBRANCE OF VICTIMS IN PODRINJE AND BIRAČ

BANJA LUKA, JUNE 29 /SRNA/ – Republika Srpska President Siniša Karan has stated today in Banja Luka that the upcoming commemoration marking the 34th anniversary of the killing of 3,267 Serbs in the Middle Podrinje and Birač region during the 1992–1995 war is one of the most important events, stressing that those who were brutally killed must never be forgotten.

"We are remembering one of the most horrific episodes of the Homeland-Defense War. We want to show the world the extent of the suffering endured by the Serb people and that there was a systematic and deliberate genocidal intent", Karan told reporters after a meeting with representatives of institutions and organizations held ahead of the observance of the anniversary.

He said such intentions had also been present in previous wars.

"We have 3,267 reasons why Republika Srpska is the only framework for the survival of the Serb people. In the Middle Podrinje and Birač region, Serbs were killed in the most brutal manner, and the attempt to exterminate them continued over an extended period," Karan stressed.

A memorial service for the 3,267 Serb soldiers and civilians killed in the Middle Podrinje and Birač region during the Defense-Homeland War will be held in Bratunac on Saturday, July 4.