MESSAGE SHOULD BE SENT FROM BRATUNAC THAT LIVES GIVEN FOR SRPSKA WERE NOT IN VAIN

ŠEKOVIĆI, JUNE 30 /SRNA/ -The president of the Organization of Families of Captured and Killed Soldiers and Missing Civilians of Srebrenica, Branimir Kojić, has called on people to come to Bratunac in large numbers on Saturday, July 5, when the 33rd anniversary of the suffering of Serbs in the Middle Podrinje and Birač during the Defense Patriotic War will be commemorated, to send a message that the lives given for the defense of Republika Srpska were not in vain.

Kojić said that preparations for marking this important event are in their final phase, emphasizing that strong attendance is crucial.

"We invite all those who wish to come — and everyone should — to pay their respects to those who gave their lives for the foundations of Republika Srpska, and in doing so, show that their sacrifice was not in vain," Kojić told reporters in Šekovići.

He added that everyone from Republika Srpska, Serbia, as well as neighboring countries, is welcome to honor the victims.

Kojić emphasized that he had been at Gazimestan two days ago, noting that it is a beautiful thing when Serbs honor their fallen and come together.

"I hope the same happens in Bratunac — that as many people as possible come and that we send a clear message that our loved ones are not forgotten and that their lives were not given in vain for Srpska," Kojić said.

He reminded that the 3,267 victims from the Middle Podrinje and Birač represent an enormous number relative to the local population.

"We know that one third of the sites of Serb massacres in Srpska were located in Podrinje — that alone speaks volumes about the scale of our suffering here. And yet, the so-called extra-constitutional Court of BiH handed down only 27 years in total for all those victims. This proves that the extra-constitutional Court and Prosecutor's Office of BiH do not want to acknowledge these victims or address these crimes — to them, Serb victims are second-class. We must show that, to us, they are of the utmost importance," Kojić said.

The commemoration of the 33rd anniversary of the suffering of Serbs in the Middle Podrinje and Birač will take place on July 5 in Bratunac. The event will be attended by officials from Republika Srpska and Serbia, as well as His Holiness, Serbian Patriarch Porfirije.