A group of peace activists and war veterans, former members of the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Croatian Defense Council (HVO), the Croatian Army (HV), the Army of the Republika Srpska (VRS) and the Army of Yugoslavia (VJ), are attending on Tuesday a an event to commemorate the victims of the massacres in Ahmici and Trusina.
This year marks the 31st anniversary of the war crimes in Ahmici near Vitez and in Trusina near Konjic.
On April 16, 1993, members of the HVO committed a crime against the Bosniak residents of Ahmici, while members of the Bosnian Army committed a crime against the Croat residents of Trusina.
“Together with war veterans from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and Serbia, we have so far attended more than 20 commemorations, we went to different places in all three countries to show that together we can honor every victim and condemn every crime… As we always point out, wherever we go, we come in peace, we clearly condemn every crime and by our joint presence we show that we can build a culture of memory in which there will be a place for all victims, that together we can build a memory that will teach us about the value of every human life, helping each other and building a better society for all of us and our children,” said Amer Delic, a member of the Center for Nonviolent Action and a war veteran of the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
In Ahmici, 116 civilians were killed by HVO units on April 16, 1993, and the remains of some of the victims have never been found. Among the victims are children, aged from three months to seven years. The oldest person killed was 81 years old. Several persons were sentenced for this crime before the court in the Hague, all of whom have been released meanwhile. Among them is Dario Kordic, who was sentenced to 25 years in prison.
Among those to attend the commemorative event in Ahmici is Mirko Zecević Tadic, a former member of the HVO who was a minor during the war. He has devoted the last twenty years to the reconciliation process.
In Trusina, on April 16, 1993, the Bosnian Army killed 19 civilians and three captured members of the HVO, according to the data of the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Several persons were convicted for this war crime before the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the trial of Zulfikar Alispago, the commander of the ARBiH special purpose unit “Zulfikar”, has not ended even after 14 years.
Dragica Tomic, the president of the association that organizes the commemoration in Trusina, said that the memory of April 16 is a warning for the future and a warning that every war leaves behind devastation.
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