The Serb member and Chairwoman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Željka Cvijanović, emphasized that today marks 83 years since the martyrdom of 2,315 Serbs in the Banja Luka villages of Drakulić, Motike, Šargovac, and the Rakovac mine, with deep reverence.
“Every fourth victim of this monstrous and meticulously planned Ustasha crime was an innocent child—551 of them in total. The criminals deemed them guilty simply because they crossed themselves with three fingers and bore a Serb name and surname,” Cvijanović stated for Srna.
She noted that the testimonies of this massacre send chills down the spine of any normal human being.
However, Cvijanović added that no matter how painful and disturbing these events are, it is our duty to pass on the truth about this horrific crime against our fellow countrymen and many others to new generations.
“If we do not continue to remember our victims and heroes, visit execution sites, and commemorate historically significant events and dates, we must be certain that no one else will do it for us,” Cvijanović pointed out.
She stressed that learning lessons from the past is a necessary prerequisite for a peaceful and secure future, and as a people, we no longer have the right to forget.
Today in Drakulić, near Banja Luka, the 83rd anniversary of the Ustasha massacre in the villages of Drakulić, Šargovac, Motike, and the Rakovac mine was commemorated. In this atrocity, 2,315 Serbs were brutally murdered, including 551 children.
The Ustashas executed Serbs in these Banja Luka villages using axes, knives, and pickaxes—without firing a single bullet.
Source: RTRS
