Bosnia and Herzegovina commemorates wartime massacres and denounces fraudulent veterans

On 13 July, a ceremony at the Dubravska plateau marked the 33rd anniversary of the killing of 24 Croatian defenders in Herzegovina. Priest Ivo Šutalo used the occasion to condemn individuals who claim veteran status without having fought, describing them as “sham veterans” who profit from false claims.

The same day also marked the 33rd anniversary of the atrocities committed in the village of Orašlje. In July 1943, German SS troops aided by Ustaše units massacred 63 Bosniak civilians, including infants, and burned the village. Fifty years later, on 13 July 1993, HVO and HV forces entered Orašlje and killed 15 residents, members of the same families. Survivors and relatives gathered to remember the victims and call for judicial accountability for the 1993 crimes.