Bosniaks mark Sjeverin massacre

Today is the 16th anniversary of the kidnapping and murder of a group of Bosniaks from Sjeverin by Serb soldiers. Fifteen men and one woman from Sjeverin were on a bus to Priboj on the morning of October 22, 1992. The bus was stopped by a group of Bosnian Serb army soldiers in the village of Mioce. Bosniaks mark Sjeverin massacre After looking at their papers, the soldiers took only the Bosniaks out of the bus and took them to a truck which then transported them to the Vilina Vlas Hotel in Visegrad. There the Bosniaks were brutally tortured, before being taken to the shore of the Drina River, where they were executed. Their bodies have yet to be found, 16 years later. The Humanitarian Law Center called on the government to investigate and state the location where the remains of the 16 murder Bosniaks are hidden. “Serbia does not participate in marking the day the Bosniaks from Sjeverin were killed, nor is it ready to give the families of the victims financial compensation for their suffering,” the NGO stated. The families and friends of the kidnapped victims from Sjeverin held a commemoration today in Mioce and threw flowers into the Lim River, after which a procession of cars will travel to Visegrad to place flowers at the location where they are believed to have been killed. The Belgrade District Court convicted Milan Lukic, Oliver Krsmanovic, Dragutin Dragicevic and Djordje Sevic of war crimes against civilians and handed out long prison terms to each of them. The verdict was upheld by the Supreme Court in 2006. Krsmanovic is still a fugitive, while Lukic is currently on trial at the Hague Tribunal for war crimes committed in Bosnia-Herzegovina. The victims of the Sjeverin massacre were Mehmed Sebo, Zafer Hadzic, Medo Hadzic, Medredin Hodzic, Ramiz Begovic, Dervis Softic, Medhad Softic, Mujo Alihodzic, Alija Mandal, Sead Pecikoza, Mustafa Bajramovic, Hajrudin Sajtarevic, Esad Dzihic, Ramahudin Catovic, Idriz Gibovic and Mevlida Koldzic.

Bosniaks mark Sjeverin massacre

After looking at their papers, the soldiers took only the Bosniaks out of the bus and took them to a truck which then transported them to the Vilina Vlas Hotel in Višegrad.

There the Bosniaks were brutally tortured, before being taken to the shore of the Drina River, where they were executed.

Their bodies have yet to be found, 16 years later.

The Humanitarian Law Center called on the government to investigate and state the location where the remains of the 16 murder Bosniaks are hidden.

“Serbia does not participate in marking the day the Bosniaks from Sjeverin were killed, nor is it ready to give the families of the victims financial compensation for their suffering,” the NGO stated.

The families and friends of the kidnapped victims from Sjeverin held a commemoration today in Mioče and threw flowers into the Lim River, after which a procession of cars will travel to Višegrad to place flowers at the location where they are believed to have been killed.

The Belgrade District Court convicted Milan Lukić, Oliver Krsmanović, Dragutin Dragićević and Đorđe Šević of war crimes against civilians and handed out long prison terms to each of them.

The verdict was upheld by the Supreme Court in 2006.

Krsmanović is still a fugitive, while Lukić is currently on trial at the Hague Tribunal for war crimes committed in Bosnia-Herzegovina.

The victims of the Sjeverin massacre were Mehmed Šebo, Zafer Hadžić, Medo Hadžić, Medredin Hodžić, Ramiz Begović, Derviš Softić, Medhad Softić, Mujo Alihodžić, Alija Mandal, Sead Pecikoza, Mustafa Bajramović, Hajrudin Sajtarević, Esad Džihić, Ramahudin Ćatović, Idriz Gibović and Mevlida Koldžić.