UDIK Udruženje za društvena istraživanja i komunikacije
The Association for Social Research and Communication (UDIK) reminds the public that today is the 28th anniversary of the war crime in the settlement of Bikavac near Višegrad. Together with the crime that took place on June 14, 1992 in Pionirska Street in Višegrad, this crime is one of the most horrible war crimes that happened during the war against Bosnia and Herzegovina.
In the Bikavac Fire, on June 27, 1992, approximately 70 Bosniak civilians were forced into one room in the house of Meho Aljić in the settlement of Bikavac, near Višegrad. After the captives were robbed, the house was set on fire and the occupants were burned alive. According to the testimony of Zehra Turjačanin, there were many children in the house, the youngest less than one year old. Most of the victims were young women with children, along with some elderly men and women.
On this occasion, UDIK’s President Edvin Kanka Ćudić pointed out: „The Bikavac Fire reminds us of the cruelty of the Bosnian war from which the Republika Srpska was created. Today, the entity defends itself with silence, and in that way rewards all crimes, including Bikavac. Because of that silence, we are obliged to constantly remind the public of the events of June 1992.”
“Pionirska, Bikavac, Uzamnica and Vilina Vlas tell us about the nature of the crimes in the Višegrad area. The systematic crime of extermination of the non-Serb population was successfully ended with the fraternal help of volunteers from Serbia and Russia. This final version can be seen and felt today in the mono-ethnic structure of the city’s population, monuments to the Chetniks, Draža Mihailović and Russian volunteers, and the Vilina Vlas Hotel as a proud tourist offer of the Republika Srpska”, said Ćudić.
For this crime ICTY sentenced Milan Lukić to life imprisonment and Sredoje Lukić to 27 years in prison. Three years ago, UDIK presented the publication War crimes in Višegrad – verdicts. The publication included nine convictions for war crimes committed in Višegrad, issued by the State Court and the Supreme Court of the Federation. They were sentenced Boban Šimšić, Dragan Šekarić, Miloš Pantelić, Momir Savić, Nenad Tanasković, Novo Rajak, Oliver Krsmanović, Predrag Milisavljević, Vitomir Racković and Željko Lelek.
