MEMORIAL SERVICE HELD FOR 16 MURDERED SERBS IN SERDARI

KOTOR VAROŠ, SEPTEMBER 17 /SRNA/ – The Serdari crime remains one of the most severe and horrifying crimes in the municipality of Kotor Varoš, as it was committed against civilians - and yet, the hand of justice has not fully reached the perpetrators, it was emphasized at the marking 33 years since members of Muslim forces killed 16 Serbs, all from the Serdar, Tepić, and Bencuz families.

At the memorial site in the village of Serdari and the Kukavice cemetery, Kotor Varoš municipality, a memorial service for the murdered Serbs was held by Archpriest Stanoja Zeljković. Flowers were laid by delegations from the Municipal War Veterans Organisation, the Municipality of Kotor Varoš, the Kotor Varoš Police Station, and families of the innocent victims.

Miladin Savanović, the head of the municipal War Veterans Organisation, stated that it is long overdue for all those responsible for this and other crimes in BiH to be properly prosecuted, because based on the number of individuals convicted so far, it misleadingly appears that only Serbs participated in the past war.

He stressed that the victims of this crime must never be forgotten, noting t is well known that a significant number of enemy soldiers participated in this attack, yet only one person has been prosecuted.

"I appeal those dispensing justice to do so based on the facts and severity of the crime, and to properly sentence the perpetrators," Savanović stressed.

Zdenko Sakan, Kotor Varoš Mayor, emphasized that what happened on September 17, 1992, in Serdari must never be forgotten, and that we must remember the victims, as well as every soldier who defended Republika Srpska.

The youngest victim of the Serdari massacre was just four years old, and the oldest was 60.

In the dawn attack on Serdari on September 17, 1992, the following were killed: Branko Serdar /60/, Bosiljka Serdar /53/, Jelenko Serdar /31/, Radmila Serdar /21/, Slavko Serdar /60/, Danka Serdar /54/. Drago Serdar /47/, Mirko Serdar /31/, Slaviša Serdar /22/, Spomenka Serdar /19/, Ljubica Tepić /40/, Slobodanka Tepić /12/, Snježana Tepić /4/, Nikola Dukić /40/, Slavko Bencuz /55/, Slavojka Bencuz /21/.

The Appellate Panel of the Court of BiH sentenced Fikret Planinčić to 11 years in prison for the crime committed in Serdari, while Sead Menzil and Mirsad Vatrač were acquitted, despite both having been initially sentenced to 11 and 10 years respectively in the first-instance verdict.