BELGRADE, June 21 /SRNA/ – Head of the Veritas Documentation and Information Centre Savo Štrbac tells SRNA that even 27 years later, the families of Serb victims of the Miljevci Plateau operation in Croatia are mostly concerned about 12 unidentified bodies buried at the cemetery in Knin.
“The war ended long ago. In 1992, when we took over the mortal remains from the Croats, most of the remains were taken out of the pit; although they were not in the pit for a long time, they were completely decomposed, it was difficult to put them together,” said Štrbac who attended the memorial service for the Serb victims of Croatian operation “Miljevci Plateau” at the Church of St Marcus in Belgrade.
He stated that 12 unidentified bodies were buried at the Knin cemetery, waiting for a better modern identification method.
“But the Croatian operation Storm followed, we were expelled, while those 12 buried unidentified bodies still lay at the Knin cemetery under unknown NN,” said Štrbac.
He recalled that “Veritas” begged all international organisations, including The Hague Tribunal, to exhume these remains, since the exhumations of the Storm operation victims was underway at that cemetery, but they replied the funds were not earmarked for the exhumation of those bodies.
“We also addressed to the state of Croatia; the Missing Persons Commission of Serbia addressed to Croatia last year, but these 12 bodies have not been exhumed,” said Štrbac.
He adds the more horrifying fact is that only two members of the Croatian army were convicted of killing one prisoner of war from the Miljevci Plateau; one was sentenced to three years, and another for three years and eight months in prison.
Štrbac stated that one among the strongest impressions was that Croatian President Kolinda Grabar Kitarović said she would announce her presidential candidacy after attending the celebration of Storm operation in Knin, because she wanted to attend the celebration as a president, not as a candidate.
“It just shows how much they in Croatia care about our victims. They only care about their victory day. I often wonder – what do you, Croats, celebrate on that day, the day when you expelled your citizens? They will say those were aggressors, but those were the citizens of Croatia,” said Štrbac.
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