The Youth Initiative for Human Rights - Croatia placed a poster at the entrance to the village of Ahmici near Vitez, where this month marks the end of the 31st year since the crimes and suffering of Bosniak civilians. With this act, they wanted to show that they remember the victims and request that the Republic of Croatia take responsibility.

“Forgive us, on behalf of the citizens of the Republic of Croatia,” reads the large poster.

Earlier, they put up a similar poster on Slavonska Avenue in Zagreb, recalling the victims of war crimes in Ahmici. It was destroyed by individuals in just one day.

The Youth Initiative for Human Rights – Croatia stated that the destruction of this poster was another example of an attempt to erase topics from the public space that question and remind of the judicially established role of the Croatian state leadership of the Croatian military forces in the war in Bosnia.

“In anticipation of the 31st anniversary of the war crime in Ahmici, we recalled the crimes in Ahmici with this poster and told the citizens of the Republic of Croatia to remember the victims and ask that the Republic of Croatia take responsibility and apologize for its crimes,” they pointed out.

Members of the Croat Defence Council (HVO) killed 116 civilians in the attack on Ahmici on April 16, 1993, and the Association of Citizens of War Victims “16. April” said that 85 people have been identified and buried so far, while the search for the bodies of 31 people is still ongoing.

The Hague Tribunal sentenced one of the HVO commanders, Dario Kordic, to 25 years in prison for the crimes in Ahmici. Three more HVO members were sentenced for those crimes, Miroslav Bralo to 20 years in prison, Pasko Ljubicic to eight, and Tihomir Blaskic to nine years.