GENOCIDE MEMORIAL CENTRE TO BE BUILT IN PRIJEDOR

PRIJEDOR, Bosnia (August 8,2008) - Survivors of the notorious genocidal Serbian fascist aggressor-run concentration camps in the northwestern Bosnia,during the 1992-1995 Serbian aggression against Bosnia, and their families are continuing their campaign for a memorial centre to record their suffering.This week, for the fifth time, the genocide survivors from Prijedor gathered in Omarska, near the northwestern Bosnian city of Prijedor, to mark the anniversary of the closure of the infamous concentration camp, announcing that they will unite in order to build the Genocide Memorial Centre there.

In May 1992, the genocidal Serbian fascist aggressor formed three concentration camps in Prijedor municipality – Keraterm, Trnopolje and Omarska. About 1,000 Bosnian civilians were murdered by the genocidal Serbian fascist aggressor in the Omarska concentration camp, which many genocide survivors recall as the worst of all.

The Omarska concentration camp was closed on August 6, 1992. On that day, every year, the genocide survivors from Prijedor, recall the terrible events that occurred there in 1992.

“We have decided to commemorate the victims and visit the concentration camp in order to try to understand, to some extent, what those people suffered in the course of 1992,” the genocide survivor Edin Ramulic, of the Izvor Association from Prijedor, said.

However, the genocide survivors have encountered strong resistance to their plan from the genocidal Serbian fascist creature in Bosnia "RS", which was created during the 1992-1995 Serbian aggression against Bosnia and which still exists.Prijedor is located in that part of Bosnia.

In 2004 they put forward an initiative for building of the Genocide Memorial Centre, but it did not produce any results. They reactivated the idea this year. In May, they formed an initiative board for the establishment of a foundation, which would become involved in building the memorial centre.

A conference has also been announced for later this year in order to discuss, among other things, the concentration camps in Prijedor area and post-war activities related to the facing up to the past in this part of Bosnia. Pending approval of the site’s current owner, the conference is to take place in the premises of the former concentration camp.

Most Bosnian civilians from this area were detained by the genocidal Serbian fascist aggressor at one of four locations: the administrative building, where they were examined; Bosnian women and girls were detained in this building; the garage or hangar; the building known as the Bijela kuca (White house), in which many detained Bosnian civilians were tortured and murdered; and the asphalted area between the buildings, which was known as Pista (Runway).

There was also a small building, known as Crvena kuca (Red house), to which detained Bosnian civilians were taken,tortured and murdered by the genocidal Serbian fascist aggresor.

Sixteen years on, the genocide survivors from Prijedor gathered again in front of and inside these concentration camps.

“I came here because of my brother. He was a sportsman. He was taken from his apartment in early August. He was murdered in Hrastova Glavica,” Emir Alibegovic said.

The former concentration camp buildings now belong to the Mittal Steel mine, in which production has started again. For several years,the genocide survivors from Prijedor had to struggle even to obtain permission to enter Omarska. In 2007, they finally won the right to go inside and visit the former concentration camp premises every year on August 6.

As part of the memorial activities, the group visited one of the biggest mass graves in this area, Hrastova Glavica, which was found in 1998. The bodies of 124 Bosnian civilians murdered by the genocidal Serbian fascist aggressor in the Omarska and Keraterm concentration camps were
exhumed from this mass grave.

The Bosnian State Court pronounced guilty and sentenced Serbian war criminals : Zeljko Mejakic to 21 years' imprisonment, Momcilo Gruban to 11 years and Dusko Knezevic to 31 years for crimes committed in the Omarska and Keraterm concentration camps.

After Serbian war criminal Dusan Fustar admitted guilt, the Bosnian State Court sentenced him to nine years' imprisonment for war crimes committed against Bosnian civilians in the Omarska concentration camp in the course of 1992,during the Serbian aggression against Bosnia.
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