Viktor Nuzdić, Acting Director of the Republic Center for Research on War, War Crimes and the Search for Missing Persons, said that the notorious camp for Serbs, “Silos” in Tarčin near Sarajevo, was a place where humanity died every day and where pain became a way of life.
“Even a single day spent in this notorious camp was torture. It is difficult, almost impossible, to imagine the suffering, hunger, fear, and humiliation endured by the detainees in that dungeon for a full 1,300 days, solely because they were Serbs,” Nuzdić told SRNA.
He emphasized that daily torture, systematic starvation, brutal beatings, psychological abuse, and forced labor were part of everyday life in “Silos.”
Nuzdić stated that around 600 Serbs passed through this camp, and many of them did not survive the harsh conditions and inhumane abuse. Those who were released alive were left with permanent scars on both body and soul, and many later died.
He recalled that the Hague Tribunal never seriously addressed camps for Serbs, although, according to data from the Republic Center, there were more than 200 such camps in the Sarajevo area alone, including “Silos,” one of the darkest symbols of the suffering of the Serbian people.
Nuzdić pointed out that “Silos” was established in May 1992 and continued to exist for more than two months after the signing of the Dayton Peace Agreement, noting that many inmates had previously passed through an entire system of Sarajevo camps, carrying their suffering from one dungeon to another.
“Although the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina dealt with crimes committed against Serbs in the ‘Silos’ camp, the final outcome is devastating—only seven individuals were convicted and given disgracefully lenient sentences. Therefore, it is our duty not to forget,” Nuzdić said.
He added that during this year, the Republic Center will consolidate all data on Sarajevo camps and present to the public the most comprehensive, substantiated, and documented findings, because the truth is a debt owed to the victims and an obligation to the future.
On Tuesday, January 27, the 30th anniversary of the closure of the notorious “Silos” camp for Serbs in Tarčin, in the municipality of Hadžići, will be marked. During the war, around 600 Serbian civilians were imprisoned there, 24 of whom died as a result of beatings, torture, and starvation.
Source: RTRS
