The 30th anniversary of the massacre of Croat civilians in Grabovica, near Mostar, who were killed on September 8 and 9, 1993 by members of the RBiH Army, was marked on Saturday. The youngest victim was less than four years old, and the oldest was 87 years old. There are still 17 victims missing because their bodies were dumped in Neretva.

Josip Dreznjak, president of the Association of Croatian Victims of Grabovica ‘93, said that this year no victims were laid to rest.

“Coming here you can notice some things. You can see that the road is asphalted, the water supply system is repaired, there is lighting… But the most important things – finding the dead, bodies… We will not be burying one body or one bone this year either. These matters are up to the Court and the Prosecutor's Office. We have provided so much evidence. This is the 30th anniversary. I was one of the youngest (to survive)… We won't be able to do much in a few years, people are passing away. Those who can do something about it, don't do it,” said Dreznjak and appealed to judicial institutions to prosecute those responsible.

Croat Democratic Union (HDZ BiH) leader Dragan Covic said that 30 years is too long.

“Every year we come here and say that the rule of law needs to function precisely on the example of Grabovica. 33 innocent victims of crimes that they aimed to evict, displace all that is Croat in this area and rule. When we remember them, we also remember all the other victims in Bosnia and Herzegovina. There are too many execution grounds in BiH for which no one was held accountable for. The accusations are sitting in the drawers in the judiciary,” Covic said.

The surviving residents, although disillusioned, continue their search for the truth, as well as the remaining remains that have not yet been found, hoping for a fairer treatement from the state. To date, five members of the RBiH Army have been sentenced. Before the domestic courts in BiH, former members of the RBiH Army were held accountable for individual murders, but none for war crimes against the civilian population and under command responsibility.

Mustafa Hota was sentenced to nine years in prison, Enes Sakrak to ten years, while Nihad Vlahovljak, Sead Karagic and Haris Rajkic were sentenced to 13 years in prison each.

For the crime in Grabovica, the International Criminal Court for the former Yugoslavia acquitted Sefer Halilovic, Chief of the Main Staff of the Supreme Command of the RBiH Army, of criminal responsibility.