NUŽDIĆ: FAMILIES OF VICTIMS FROM LEDIĆI STILL AWAITING JUSTICE

BANJA LUKA, JUNE 3 /SRNA/ - Acting director of the Republika Srpska Research Centre of War, War Crimes and Missing Persons Viktor Nuždić told SRNA that families of the victims from Ledići are still awaiting justice, 34 years after one of the most monstrous crimes against Serb civilians in Defense-Homeland War, noting that a judiciary that does not punish criminals becomes complicit in oblivion.

"That's why today, more than ever, the question must be asked - is there justice for Serb victims in BiH or are their sufferings doomed to be forgotten, silenced and institutional indifference?" Nuždić asked.

He reminded that 22 Serb civilians were killed in the most brutal way in Ledići, near Trnovo.

"Among them were old men, mothers, women and children. The youngest victim, Milun Tešanović, was only 18 months old, while Ikonija Vasić was 92 years old. Those people did not carry weapons. They were not a threat to anyone. They were only Serbs who died in their own homes and on their own hearths," Nuždić stressed.

According to him, the fact that even after more than three decades no final sentence has been imposed for this crime is particularly devastating, and it is even more devastating that in the court proceedings the chairwoman of the court panel admitted that it was a terrible crime that had to be punished, but the responsibility for the acquittal was transferred to the Prosecutor's Office.

"Exactly that sentence contains the entire tragedy of the attitude of the BiH judiciary towards Serb victims - someone else is always to blame, but those who committed the crimes are almost never held accountable," Nuždić believes.

He asked how can we talk about the rule of law when no one is responsible for the murder of an 18-month-old baby?

"How can we talk about reconciliation when the victims' families have been listening to excuses instead of judgments for 34 years? How can we believe in justice if it is unattainable precisely when the crimes are the most terrible and obvious?" asked Nuždić.

He stated that the extent of brutality in Ledići is best described by forensic findings, which testify that many victims were found decapitated.

"The autopsy report for little Milun Tešanović is especially shocking, in which it is stated that death occurred as a result of the destruction of the head by the action of a blunt, heavy and swinging mechanical tool," Nuždić pointed out.

He says that it is not just a medical report, but a document that testifies to the insanity, hatred and inhumanity that befell innocent people.

"If there is no punishment for such brutality, then we must ask ourselves not only where justice is, but whether it even exists. Because justice that does not recognize the suffering of Serb victims is not justice. Justice that has been silent over the graves of murdered children for more than three decades is not justice," said Nuždić.

He pointed out that justice that does not punish criminals becomes an accomplice in oblivion.

Nuždić stressed that the Republican Center for Research on War, War Crimes and the Search for Missing Persons will not allow Ledići to be forgotten.

"The truth about this crime has been documented and permanently recorded through the Atlas of Crimes against Serbs, as a testimony for future generations and as a reminder that Serb victims must not be second-class citizens, neither in memory nor in justice," noted Nuždić.

He added that it is a debt to innocently killed children, their families and the truth.

"We owe it to every Serb victim whose name must not disappear in the silence of institutions and the oblivion of time," said Nuždić.

In the village of Ledići near Trnovo, a memorial service will be held today for 22 Serb civilians who were killed 34 years ago by members of the so-called Army of BiH.