Siniša Karan stated that Sijekovac is a place of a brutal crime against Serb civilians, but also a significant historical warning.
“Sijekovac, like many other sites of suffering of the Serb people, obliges us to remember, to bear witness, and not to allow the truth to be relativized or forgotten. As a people who have repeatedly paid a high price for their freedom throughout history, we must view the suffering of innocent civilians in Sijekovac not only as a tragedy, but also as a foundation of our collective identity and national consciousness,” Karan said in a statement to Srna, marking the 34th anniversary of the first mass crime against the Serb population in Bosnia and Herzegovina that took place in Sijekovac.
He emphasized that every instance of suffering of the Serb people obliges Republika Srpska, as well as each individual, to persist in the pursuit of justice without compromise.
“Republika Srpska was not created by chance, nor as an expression of temporary political will. It is a constitutional and historical response of the Serb people to suffering, insecurity, and the need to decide their own fate. Therefore, the protection of Republika Srpska is not a matter of daily politics, but a matter of rights, dignity, and survival,” Karan stated.
He added that it is the pledge of the Serb people to preserve Republika Srpska as a guarantor of freedom, to defend it through knowledge, unity, and institutions, and to build within it a society based on justice and truth.
“Only in this way can we be worthy of the victims of Sijekovac and all innocent people who were killed, and only in this way can we ensure that such evil never happens again—to us or to anyone else. Remembrance and respect for the victims are our obligation,” Karan concluded.
Source: RTRS
