28 September 2020 marks 25 years since the crime against Serb civilians in Varivode and Gošić near Knin. In solidarity with the families of the victims and calling on Croatian authorities to prosecute those responsible, war veterans and peace activists from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and Serbia join in remembering the killed civilians.
In Varivode, situated some 40 kilometres west of Knin, on 28 September 1995, almost two months after Operation “Storm”, unknown perpetrators killed nine elderly civilians, while in nearby Gošić, another eight elderly civilians were killed on 27 September 1995. Although the Croatian authorities do not deny the committed crimes, those responsible have not been prosecuted or punished in the 25 years since.
A mixed group of war veterans from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and Serbia, some 30 former members of the Army of RBiH, the Croatian Army, the Croat Defence Council, the Army of Republika Srpska, the Yugoslav National Army and the Army of Yugoslavia, attended the commemorations in Varivode and Gošić in 2017. Due to the pandemic and restrictions on travel and gatherings, this year a smaller delegation of the Centre for Nonviolent Action Sarajevo-Belgrade will honour the killed civilians, but other veterans and peace activists are also joining in remembering them.
“It meant a lot to us to come to the commemoration in Varivode and Gošić because this is where civilians were killed and no one was held responsible. We thought that the presence of our group of war veterans could help at least in some way to move things along so that more attention is paid to civilians killed during the Homeland War and we, of course, also wanted to call for the prosecution and punishment of those responsible,” said Davorka Turk, member of the Centre for Nonviolent Action from Zagreb. She also particularly thanked the Serb National Council (SNV) as co-organiser of the commemorations for their endeavours to build a culture of memory of victims that is inclusive and leads to peacebuilding.
Zvonko Lucić, a war veteran of the Croatian Army from Zagreb, says he was particularly touched by how much the organisers of the commemoration and the locals appreciated others coming to commemorate their victims.
“It’s important to participate in these things, because it is important to the people there, they feel recognised, they feel that they are part of the citizens of the country, part of an equal community,” Lucić said.
Stanislav Krezić, an HVO veteran from Mostar, has attended a number of commemorations in the region. As a war veteran and peace activist, he believes that remembering all victims is important especially for minority and returnee communities, as this gives them a clear sign from their neighbours that they are welcome and that their rights are not threatened.
“The message of true defenders is surely, above all, to say we are sorry to these families that have lost their loved ones. The least we can do is bow and pay our respects to people, especially those who were defenceless…” said Stanislav Krezić, who condemned the crime and added that its perpetrators are no heroes or knights, but mere cowards.
The war veterans and peace activists welcomed this year’s positive steps in Croatia, primarily the participation of state officials in commemorations to killed Serb civilians.
“I view all this with a sense of great relief. I think it is a necessary and very much needed step for Croatian society as a whole, and not just for dealing with the crimes committed during the Homeland War, for which responsibility has been avoided up until now. Without dealing with this, I don’t think it is possible to build good neighbourly relations or a healthy society. I think the relief I felt is shared by the great majority of Croatian citizens,” Davorka Turk pointed out.
Zvonko Lucić sees these steps as important symbols, but he also expects more concrete actions to follow.
“It would be very good if after this symbolism there is sustainability in real life and tensions between ethnicities decrease. That would be the biggest benefit for the whole society, not just for one community, but for society as a whole,” Lucić concluded.
Aleksandar Sokolović, a war veteran of the Yugoslav Army from Kruševac, has been participating in peace actions for years. He says of his experience:
“The first time I participated in one of these actions, I didn’t know what to expect. I was lost for words, but when I came and realised what my people had done to someone else, I felt relief that I was there, I felt as if a burden had been lifted off my back, though I never had any reason to carry it, but the pressure is always with you. And I think everyone should come, see, hear what happened. If you don’t have sensitivity towards others’ victims, you won’t have it for your own either,” Sokolović says.
Adnan Hasanbegović, a war veteran from Sarajevo, addressed those gathered at the commemoration in Varivode and Gošić.
“As veterans we have an energy that is important because we used to wage war, we contributed to the violence, but today we are trying to make amends by attending commemorations. I think it’s important for people, especially when former enemy fighters come. To those that have a harder time accepting it, I always say these are honest people and they want to extend a hand in reconciliation and genuine remorse or mourning over what happened, but we have to try and go into the future together, we have to send a different message to future generations,” Hasanbegović said. To criticism that this relativises other victims, Hasanbegović responds that respecting victims cannot in any way relativise other victims and that remembrance of all victims is an opportunity to build a more just society.
By remembering the victims from Varivode and Gošić, and all other victims, war veterans want to send a message to their own children and to young generations.
“We want to show our children where we went wrong so that they and their children do not repeat our mistakes,” said veteran Aleksandar Sokolović at the end.
Under the organisation of the Centre for Nonviolent Action, veterans from the region have attended commemorations in BiH in Gornji Vakuf, at Site 715 near Zavidovići, in Stog near Vozuća, in Novi Grad/Bosanski Novi, Sanski Most (Hrastova glavica), Sijekovac near Brod, Laništa near Brčko, Trusina near Konjic, Ahmići near Vitez, Grabovica near Mostar, Skelani near Srebrenica, Briševo and Zecovi near Prijedor, Korićanske stijene, Stupni Do near Vareš, and in Serbia in Grdelička klisura near Leskovac, Varvarin near Kruševac, Aleksinac, as well as in Croatia in Pakrac, Varivode and Gošić near Knin.
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