Opening of Museum of Detainees in Brcko
This post is also available in: Bosnian
Jasmin Meskovic, President of the Association of Detainees of Bosnia and Herzegovina, BiH, pointed out that documents, displays and photographs of detainees from all parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina and all ethnic groups will be put on display in the first museum of detainees in Brcko.
He mentioned that a similar museum would be opened in Sarajevo soon, adding that the goal was to make sure that the stories about crimes would not be forgotten.
“There are fewer and fewer witnesses, who can testify about crimes. Another problem is the fact that witnesses, who have to go back to their pre-war places of living, are afraid. Realistically speaking, criminals are better protected than victims and witnesses themselves,” Meskovic said.
Adila Suljevic from Brcko was 25 years old when she was brought to the Luka detention camp.
“Prior to having been brought to the detention camp, I had been taken to a shooting three times. When they brought me to the camp, I spent four days without food or water. I was extremely lucky to leave that place on May 9. I consider it my second birthday,” Suljevic said.
Midhat Hadzajlic, who was held in the hangars of this detention camp for more than a month, says that the opening of the memorial room represents a big step in preserving a period of suffering, which many people did not survive, from being forgotten.
“It is very hard to remember those things. They beat people up every day and every night. For us, this will be a museum in the real sense, because we will now be able to present some documents to the public for the first time,” Hadzajlic said.
Dzafer Deronjic was captured in Brcko at the beginning of the war. As he said, he survived Golgotha in Luka and Batkovic detention camps in the following few months.
He is satisfied due to the fact that the first museum of detainees has been opened in Bosnia and Herzegovina, but he points to the slowness of Bosnian judicial institutions in processing war crimes and arresting their perpetrators.
“I was held in the hangar for 27 days. I was taken out in order to be shot. I survived all that. About 3,500 detainees were held in ‘Luka’ at some stage, but only five persons have been sentenced so far. That is sad. It seems that the Prosecution wants as many of us to die as possible, so there will be nobody left to testify,” Deronjic said.
The opening of the memorial room within the Museum of Detainees in Brcko on the occasion of the Day of Detainees in BiH was supported by the Government and Assembly of the District.
