It is extremely important that Republika Srpska and Serbia jointly commemorate 30 years since the suffering of Serbs during the criminal military operation “Storm,” as this nurtures a culture of remembrance — something that was tragically neglected under communist ideology after World War II, when Serb victims were not properly honored, said Milorad Kojić, a member of the House of Representatives in the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina, in a statement to SRNA.
Kojić emphasized the necessity of preserving the memory of all historical events marked by the suffering of innocent Serbs.
“The decision by the President of Republika Srpska Milorad Dodik and the President of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić to commemorate together the Day of Remembrance for Serbs killed in the ethnic cleansing carried out in the Croatian criminal operation ‘Storm’ is of great importance — especially since no one has been held accountable for these horrific crimes against Serbs,” Kojić said.
He reminded that the Hague Tribunal acquitted Croatian General Ante Gotovina, who bore direct responsibility for the Serb pogrom in “Storm.”
“To remember and honor all innocent Serb victims is our sacred duty and obligation,” Kojić said.
The criminal operation “Storm” began on August 4, 1995, with an offensive by Croatian military and police forces, as well as HVO units, targeting the regions of Banija, Lika, Kordun, and northern Dalmatia.
On the following day, August 5, the Croatian army entered the nearly deserted town of Knin and raised the Croatian flag, while columns of Serb refugees crossed into Republika Srpska on their way to Serbia.
According to the Documentation Center “Veritas,” more than 220,000 Krajina Serbs were expelled from their homes during “Storm,” while 1,903 Serbs are listed as killed or missing during and after the operation — of whom 1,247, or 66 percent, were civilians, with around three-quarters aged over 60.
Although the International Court of Justice, in its February 2015 ruling, classified “Storm” as ethnic cleansing, it did not label it as genocide — despite international legal experts arguing the operation had all the characteristics of genocide.
Source: RTRS
