Bosnia-Herzegovina marks 33rd and 34th anniversaries of wartime massacres

In Vitez, Bosnia‑Herzegovina, the 33rd anniversary of the 1993 Podgradina massacre of eight children was observed. The ceremony highlighted that, after more than three decades of judicial silence, a trial began on 25 May at the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina against former Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina officers Mensud Keleštura and Hazim Jašarević. Families of the victims, such as Ivan Garić, expressed that “the victims’ families expect only one thing – the truth.”

From 14 June to early July, the 34th anniversary of the Nevesinje massacre was commemorated across the region. Organisers staged religious, educational and memorial events, including a “Memorial March of Remembrance” that started in Mostar and passed through historic sites linked to the June 1992 killings of roughly 306 Bosniak civilians. Speakers from religious, academic and governmental bodies addressed the crowd, noting that “nearly ten percent of Nevesinje’s pre‑war Bosniak population was murdered, many of whom were children.” The programmes aim to preserve memory and warn future generations about the consequences of such crimes.