Memorial service held in Velika Hoca to mark the anniversary of the killing of Serbs and Roma: "The names carved in stone deserve peace"

Source: Kosovo Online

A memorial service and wreath-laying ceremony were held today at the memorial monument in Velika Hoca to commemorate the 28th anniversary of the abduction and killing of Serbs and Roma in Orahovac and the surrounding villages of Retimlje, Opterusa, Zociste, and Velika Hoca.

The memorial service was conducted by the parish priest of Velika Hoca, Father Vuksan Kostic, in the presence of relatives of the victims and local residents, after which wreaths were laid at the memorial.

Addressing those gathered on behalf of the Commission on Missing Persons of the Government of Serbia, Vesna Boskovic said that the search for the fate of the innocent victims would not be abandoned.

“Every single name engraved in this stone deserves peace, and they can attain that peace only when all of us learn the truth. You—their closest family members—who have never lost hope, and we—the competent institutions—who have not lost the determination to find their remains even after 28 years. Only when you are finally able to bury your loved ones with dignity and mourn them as they deserve will we be able to close the final case file on the missing persons and await earthly justice in peace—the justice that every one of these tragic lives deserves. Not for revenge, not to reopen old wounds, because the existing ones are painful enough, but for consolation, however limited that consolation may be,” Boskovic said.

A wreath was also laid by Milos Terzic, Deputy Director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija, who stated that Serbia would never abandon the pursuit of truth and justice.

“These days in 1998 are among the saddest and most tragic in Serbia's recent history. We therefore remember every victim, every individual, and every family that has been waiting for justice for decades. That justice is clearly slow, and we point to the international community and its representatives, asking why, from 1998 until today, they have almost always sided with those who committed injustices against our Serbian people. We will never give up on truth and justice. We have seen that in Bratunac, where crimes were also committed against the Serbian people, an envoy of U.S. President Donald Trump came to pay tribute to the Serbian victims, and I hope this will contribute to justice and truth and that one day the same will happen here. In the case of Serbian victims, many of whom no longer have parents, the truth is like underground water. We Serbs know where it lies, and sooner or later, when it reaches the surface, no one will be able to stop it. Then everyone will understand that for nearly a century and a half, the Serbian people in this region have themselves been victims,” Terzic said.

The President of the Association of Kidnapped and Missing Persons of the Municipality of Orahovac, Negovan Mavric, expressed hope that the time would come when many of the crimes committed would finally be uncovered.

“Today, after 28 years, we are gathered here, and I hope that every year more people will join us to show the world what happened. I also believe that attitudes toward the Serbian people are changing and that the time will come when many of these crimes will be revealed. We, the families, may even be able to forgive—just return the remains of our loved ones to us. We leave judgment to God for those who committed these crimes, since the judicial authorities have failed to bring them to light,” Mavric said.

Aleksandar Micic said that as long as the Divine Liturgy continues to be celebrated in Velika Hoca and church bells continue to ring, the innocent victims will not be forgotten.

“Today is not a day for grand words. Before sacrifice, one does not speak loudly; one stands in reverence, holding a lit candle and offering a prayer from the heart. Our people have suffered throughout the centuries, but suffering is not the final word in history. The final word belongs to the Resurrection; it belongs to Christ, who conquered death. That is why today we do not gather merely to mourn those who perished, but to bear witness that they are alive in the Lord and live on in our memory, our prayers, and our love. Today we especially remember the Kostic family. Their fate is not only a family tragedy. Their sacrifice reminds us that evil may take life, but it cannot overcome truth, faith, or love. As long as the Divine Liturgy is celebrated here in Hoca and the church bells continue to ring, none of our innocent victims will ever be forgotten,” Micic said.