Storyteller at heart

Tag Archives: Bosnia

I Remember

Posted on by Posted in Bosnia, Genocide, Prijedor

danasmojeimeToday is a very sad day in my home town, Prijedor. We are putting to rest 284 bodies of innocents who were found in the largest mass grave in Bosnia. (Google Tomasica).

Although we are happy to finally be able to put to rest our family members who were lost to us for the past 21 long years, the pain is just as strong as it was back in 1992 when they were taken out of their homes and shot to death in cold blood by the Serb Army because they were not Serbs.

Today, I am with my mom and dad, my aunt Nefira, her son, Adnan who lost his dad, uncle, granddad and many cousins, I am with my uncle Ahmet and his son Velid, I am with my uncle Nuno and his dad, with my cousin Lejla, with my friend Ajla and her dad, I am with my friends Samir and Admir, with Pasa and Izeta…I am with the 284 innocent souls. May they all rest in peace. They will never be forgotten and their killers will never be forgiven.

Remembering Srebrenica (July 11, 1995)

Posted on by Posted in Bosnia, Genocide

During the Balkans conflict of 1992-1995, the Bosnian town of Srebrenica was declared a UN Safe Area in 1993, under the watch of the United Nations Protection Force (UNPROFOR).

In July 1995, General Ratko Mladić and his Serbian paramilitary units overran and captured the town, despite its designation as an area “free from any armed attack or any other hostile act”.

In the days following Srebrenica’s fall, more than 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys were systematically massacred and buried in mass graves. Thousands of women, children and elderly people were forcibly deported and a large number of women were raped. It was the greatest atrocity on European soil since the Second World War.

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Remember!

Posted on by Posted in Bosnia, Genocide, Prijedor, Remember Me, Sanela Ramic Jurich

sa vrpcomOn May 31st 1992, the Bosnian Serb authorities in Prijedor (My birth town) in north western Bosnia and Herzegovina, issued a decree for all non-Serbs to mark their houses with white flags or sheets and to wear a white armband if they were to leave their houses. This was the first day of a campaign of extermination that resulted in executions, concentration camps, mass rapes and the ultimate removal of more than 94% of Bosniaks and Bosnian Croats from the territory of the Prijedor municipality.

Never forget Prijedor, 1992; Tomašica, 2014!

 

About the author

Sanela Ramić Jurich is a distinguished author and accomplished public speaker with a compelling background. Hailing from Prijedor, Bosnia, she entered the world in 1976, just as the complex tapestry of the Yugoslav war began to unfold in the early 1990s. Precociously navigating the challenges of those tumultuous times, Sanela was merely fifteen years old when the conflict erupted.

Her literary contributions, exemplified by notable works such as “Remember Me” and “Haunting from the Past,” stand as poignant testaments to her lived experiences during the war. These masterfully crafted books not only showcase her prowess as an author but also serve as powerful conduits through which she shares her personal recollections of the era.

Currently residing in the vibrant city of Chicago, Sanela Ramić Jurich has established a harmonious life alongside her two cherished sons. Her journey from the ravages of conflict to her present abode is a testament to resilience, determination, and the indomitable human spirit. Through her words and public addresses, she continues to captivate audiences, shedding light on her remarkable narrative and the broader lessons that can be gleaned from her compelling journey.

 

Dark Holidays

Posted on by Posted in Bosnia, Prijedor

While most of us are excited about the holidays and are happy to be spending them with family and friends, others are still searching for their loved ones in mass graves all over Bosnia. After searching for two decades, chances are slim that their children, parents, siblings, husbands, wives, relatives, etc… will ever be found alive. Many are hoping that their remains be discovered in Tomasica. However, forensic experts will quit exhumations during the winter at a mass grave in northwestern Bosnia believed to be the largest found so far from the Bosnian 1992-95 war.

mas grave tomasicaThe remains of 430 people have been exhumed since work began in August at the Tomasica grave. The victims were Muslim Bosniaks and Croats from around the nearby town of Prijedor who were killed by Serbs trying to drive non-Serbs out of the area.

Exhumations will resume in the spring  when more bodies were expected to be found. Around 1,200 people are still missing from the Prijedor area.

My cousin’s husband’s body is believed to be one of the 430 exhumed. Although, they didn’t have a chance to do a DNA test on him yet, they did find a wedding band with her name engraved on it, still wrapping around his finger where she had placed it more than two decades ago.

Please don’t forget what these holidays are about. Count your blessings, hug your children a little tighter, a little longer tonight, tell your parents you love them. Stay safe, be happy, and don’t forget those who are still searching for their loved ones. Keep them in your prayers.

More about Tomasica mass grave here.