UDIK Udruženje za društvena istraživanja i komunikacije
The crime named “Abduction in Štrpci” took place on 27 February 1993 when members of the Serbian paramilitary unit under the command of Milan Lukić, with the logistical support from the Republic of Serbia, kidnapped a group of passengers from Belgrade – Bar train at Štrpci station near Višegrad, on Bosnian territory. They kidnapped and later killed twenty civilians: eighteen Bosniaks, one Croat and one unidentified person. To date, the remains of only four victims have been found. Most of those killed were citizens of Serbia or Montenegro.
For this crime was sentenced Nebojša Ranisavljević to fifteen years in prison. Mićo Jovičić received a five-year sentence after pleading guilty before Bosnian state court in 2016. Ten former Bosnian Serb soldiers are currently on trial at the Bosnian state court in Sarajevo for Štrpci abduction and massacre. Five more Bosnian Serbs are currently on trial for the same crime in Belgrade. In December 2019, Bosnian state prosecution charged Milan Lukić, the wartime leader of the Avengers paramilitary group, with crimes against twenty passengers who were abducted from a train at Štrpci and then murdered.
As representatives of civil society, we appeal to Belgrade and Sarajevo not to delay court proceedings but to intensify them. All those guilty of this crime should be convicted, and the families of the victims should receive justice. We also point out that it is a shame that the families of those killed still do not receive any compensation just because their members were killed on the territory of another state. It is high time to go beyond the ethno-political framework, to recognize the victims’ right to the truth, and that is that they were victims of a policy that has not been defeated in our region even today.
On this occasion, we remember the innocent victims: Esad Kapetanović, Ilijaz Ličina, Fehim Bakija, Šećo Softić, Rifet Husović, Senad Đečević, Ismet Babačić, Halil Zubčević, Adem Alomerović, Muhedin Hanić, Safet Preljević, Džafer Topuzović, Rasim Ćorić, Fikret Memović, Favzija Zeković, Nijazim Kajević, Zvezdan Zuličić, Jusuf Rastoder, and Toma Buzov.
Association for Social Research and Communication (UDIK) – Sarajevo
Center for Democracy and Transitional Justice (CDTJ) – Banja Luka
Woman’s Voice – Priboj
