Commemoration of the victims of the Sarajevo market massacre on the 30th anniversary
Commemoration of the victims of the Sarajevo market massacre on the 30th anniversary
During the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina, a memorial ceremony was held for 68 civilians who died as a result of the mortar attack by the army of the Republika Srpska on the Markale market in the capital Sarajevo on the 30th anniversary of the massacre.
On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the attack by Serbian soldiers on February 5, 1994, Markale market was attended by relatives of the victims and survivors of the attack.
The ceremony was also attended by Bosnian member of the Presidential Council of Bosnia and Herzegovina Denis Bechirovic, Croatian MP Zeljko Komsic and Sarajevo Mayor Benyamina Karic.
Speaking to reporters, Becirovic said they gathered to pay tribute to the innocent people who were killed, adding that Bosnia and Herzegovina was subjected to a brutal attack and unprecedented terror during the war years.
Stressing that war criminals have been punished and that these decisions cannot be overturned by the rhetoric of irresponsible politicians, Bechirovic said:
"There are some irresponsible politicians who say they are the heirs of war criminals, this is unacceptable. I expect the European Union (EU) to condemn such scandalous statements in the strongest possible terms, we must have zero tolerance for them."
Yandranka Minic was at the market to buy milk for her baby
Videra Tadic, a friend of Jadranka Minic, who died in the massacre, said that they came so that what happened would not be forgotten.
Tadic, who said she was at the market to buy milk for her friend's baby, said: "It was yesterday, it was Saturday, my friend was suffering, I saw his name on TV and it was a shock to me."
Rafet Skenderovich, who was at the market at the time of the explosion, said that he had come to have coffee with his friends and that he had lost two of his friends as a result of the explosion, adding that he also helped the wounded that day.
Bahra Khojic, who attended the memorial service, said she lost her 14-year-old son and husband during the war, and she was wounded twice. Khojic said he came to the ceremony to honor the memory of the victims, adding that it was hard to lose family members.
The ceremony ended with the laying of flowers at the memorial on the market square in memory of those killed in the massacre.
Two mass murders in the market
The first mass murder in the Markale Market Square, which killed 68 people and injured 144, occurred on February 5, 1994.
During the second massacre, carried out by Serbian soldiers in the same place on August 28, 1995, 43 civilians were killed and 75 civilians were injured.
During the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina, 11,541 people, including 1,601 children, were killed in Sarajevo, which was under siege for 44 months.
