work with war-veterans

War veterans from the region paid their respects to civilian victims taken from the train in Štrpci

War veterans from the region paid their respects to civilian victims taken from the train in Štrpci

Veterans of the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina (ARBiH), the Croat Defence Council (HVO), the Croatian Army (HV), the Army of Republika Srpska (VRS), the Army of Yugoslavia (VJ) and the Yugoslav People’s Army (JNA), together with activists from the Centre for Nonviolent Action Sarajevo/Belgrade, took part in the commemoration in Prijepolje and honoured the civilians killed after they were taken off the train in Štrpci, expressing their solidarity and support for the families of the victims and calling for the prosecution of those responsible and for finding the remains of the victims.

“Easy Notes” for Difficult Commemorations

“Easy Notes” for Difficult Commemorations

The very fact of former enemies attending the commemoration together, paying their respects to victims of all wars, sends the message that we are no longer enemies and that we never want to be enemies again. That the suffering, fear and pain we have all experienced connect us and bring us closer together. That we grieve and empathise with each other’s pain, to ease it, and to make sure it never happens again.

War Veterans from the Region at the Commemoration in Grabovica: Killing Civilians Cannot Be Justified

War Veterans from the Region at the Commemoration in Grabovica: Killing Civilians Cannot Be Justified

War veterans, former members of the Army of RBiH, HVO, HV, VRS and VJ laid flowers and paid their respects to civilians killed in Grabovica. “The killing of innocent civilians cannot be justified, and even today families are still looking for the remains of 17 of their beloved. We cannot turn back the time and put things right, but we want to show that, with all our differences, we can remember all victims together, honour them together and build a more just society,” said Amer Delić from the Centre for Nonviolent Action, a war veteran of the Army of RBiH from Zavidovići.

War Veterans from the Region at the Commemoration in Ahmići: We Need to Remember All Victims

War Veterans from the Region at the Commemoration in Ahmići: We Need to Remember All Victims

“We are here to show by our presence that we can and must show compassion and respect not just for victims from our own people, but for others too. To show that there is another way. Then we can set the foundations for peace and coexistence in this region, which is our goal. So that our children never have to go through what we went through,” said Krešimir Ivančić, a veteran of the Croatian Army.

“It is political to remove eternity out of hatred”

“It is political to remove eternity out of hatred”

To come face to face with yourself, with others, to regain and re-earn the trust of others, to believe that we can and must live together, these are just some of the steps that the veterans undertake when making visits across the region. By no means easy, these steel-shod steps rung out loud and clear, confident and without fear, throughout our time in Niš and Aleksinac

Joint Visit by War Veterans to the City of Niš and Participation at the Commemoration in Aleksinac

Joint Visit by War Veterans to the City of Niš and Participation at the Commemoration in Aleksinac

Since 2008, the Centre for Nonviolent Action, with offices in Sarajevo and Belgrade, has been organising visits by groups of war veterans from Croatia, Serbia and BiH to sites of atrocities against civilians and soldiers committed in the recent war and to official commemorations honouring victims, organised by local and state authorities and victims associations.