\u201cWe have come, as war veterans and peace activists, to honour all victims and send a message that the terrible violence of war should never be repeated. I am personally ashamed of all these sites where people were killed, especially those that were helpless, either as civilians or as prisoners. These atrocities represent the downfall of civilisation. We would like to express our deepest respect for the victims in Bri\u0161evo and Zecovi and their families, especially those still searching for their loved ones. As former fighters, we want to emphasise the importance of continuing to prosecute those responsible for these war crimes and of finding missing persons,\u201d said Amer Deli\u0107, member of the Centre for Nonviolent Action and war veteran of the Army of BiH from Zavidovi\u0107i, and added that war veterans from Serbia who usually attend commemorations were not able to travel this time due to the pandemic.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Since 2008, the peace organisation Centre for Nonviolent Action<\/strong>, 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\u2019 associations.<\/p>\n Zdravko Marijan, president of the \u201cDom Bri\u0161evo – Dobri\u201d Association told the war veterans and peace activists who attended the commemoration about the details of the attack and crimes perpetrated against the people of Bri\u0161evo, the current situation regarding the return of those who were expelled, the construction of a memorial to honour those who were killed…<\/p>\n \u201cUnfortunately, Bri\u0161evo is deserted and overgrown today, only a single family has returned, it is likely that in ten years there will be no one left. Our association has set itself the task of maintaining memory of our loved ones and their sacrifice while we\u2019re alive. This is where the largest number of Croats were killed in Bosnia and Herzegovina, but unfortunately, we feel neglected, the village does not even have a decent dirt road, we have no electricity, the commemoration is not attended by high officials… I am a veteran myself, I participated in battles, I know what war is… But killing civilians, killing children and the powerless is a war crime, it is always a war crime, no matter who the victims and perpetrators were,\u201d said Marijan.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n The mass in Bri\u0161evo was led by Franjo Komarica, the Bishop of Banja Luka. In his address, he stressed the importance of remembering the victims, but also of forgiveness and reconciliation. Bishop Komarica stands with the people of Bri\u0161evo every year, and in his address he pointed out how he has endeavoured to preserve the memory of the victims all these years, standing up to the political manipulations of victims. At the end of the mass, a message of Bishop Komarica about forgiveness and reconciliation was read, and don Boris Ljevak of the parish thanked the veterans who had come to share in their pain.<\/p>\n After returning to their home, the surviving members of the Ba\u010di\u0107 family made a monument to their loved ones in the form of an open book. Today, Fikret Ba\u010di\u0107 is a recognisable symbol of the struggle for the right to be remembered for victims in Prijedor, especially child victims. He told the war veterans who had come to Zecovi how he set two duties for himself: to find his family members who are still listed as missing to this day and to pursue the prosecution of their killers.<\/p>\n \u201cI cannot forgive the killers, nor do I want to. I cannot blame a whole people for my suffering, but the killers and perpetrators are known and they are on trial now,\u201d Ba\u010di\u0107 explained. The people of Zecovi face similar problems as the people of Bri\u0161evo, in particular the lack of a water supply system.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/nenasilje.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020-07-25_TRM_25.jpg\")
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