Goražde Remembers Child War Victims, Calls for Justice Decades Later

Goražde recently marked its annual Day of Remembrance for children killed during the 1992-1995 war with a poignant performance by local youth, renewing calls for justice. The ceremony, held on May 14 beside a monument dedicated to the child victims, honored the 151 children who lost their lives in the city during the conflict.

Students from primary and secondary schools, along with children from local kindergartens, an amateur theatre group, and a pop-rock school at the Cultural Center, participated in a moving tribute. Through memories, messages, and evocative movements, they commemorated their peers whose lives were tragically cut short. Professor Senada Aleta organized the performance, involving 151 children as a symbolic gesture for each victim. White roses, symbolizing their innocent souls, were laid at the monument plateau.

The event strongly urged competent institutions to prosecute those responsible for these crimes. For the families of the slain children, the enduring pain is compounded by the fact that accountability remains elusive. Hajra Liko, who lost her 18-month-old daughter Ismira during a major offensive on Goražde in 1994 and was herself severely wounded, shared her heartbreaking experience. "A grenade flew into our eighth-floor apartment. I lost my 18-month-old girl and my leg, as I was critically injured," Liko recounted through tears. "The pain is as raw as it was on the first day; it's a permanent wound. It means a lot that these crimes are remembered, that people know our children were killed, but no one seems to hear us, and it's incomprehensible that no one has faced justice for that massacre in Goražde."

From the commemoration site, messages emphasized that perpetrators knew their targets and victims. Participants reiterated their demand for justice, stressing that nearly three decades after the atrocities, no one has been held responsible for the crimes against Goražde's children. The names of the victims, engraved on the monument, were read aloud during the ceremony.

May 14 holds particular significance as it marks the day in 1992 when 15-year-old Mirsad Ćulov and 16-year-old Selvira Suljović were killed in front of a building on what was then Sandžačkih Brigada Street. Ismail Ćulov, Mirsad’s brother, expressed the families' unwavering commitment to truth and memory. "My brother Mirsad was 15 when a fatal grenade fell in our street, injuring and killing many. He was the youngest victim, and the day of his death is commemorated as the Day of Remembrance for the innocently killed children," he stated. Ismail, who was born a year after his brother's death, described growing up with the deep void his brother left behind. "We bear witness today in silence beside this monument, much like our judiciary remains silent, because nothing else can bring us peace. We know our loved ones are gone, but perhaps the justice we await and deserve, like this city, would help us endure more easily."

In addition to the families, numerous delegations paid their respects by laying flowers. These included representatives of civilian war victims, veterans' associations, and executive and legislative authorities from the City of Goražde and the Bosnian Podrinje Canton Goražde (BPK Goražde), among others.