​Prime Minister of the Republic of Srpska Radovan Višković attended today a program to commemorate the sufferings of Serbs in Stari Brod and Miloševići in 1942.

Prime Minister Višković said during his speech that the truth about the horrid crimes against Serbs in Miloševići and Stari Brod was too brutal, painful and tragic but for decades had been cunningly concealed and therefore must never be forgotten.

"It marks the 77th anniversary of the horrifying crimes against Serbs in Miloševići and Stari Brod. Every year we gather here to remember and pay tribute to more than 6,000 innocent victims who were brutally murdered and thrown into the Drina River. Among the victims there were women and children who were completely powerless in front of the Ustasha troops", the Prime Minister said.

The Prime Minister said that tens of thousands of well-armed Ustasha troops together with numerous local  Muslim militia had driven out thousands of Serb refugees from Olovo, Sarajevo, Kladanj, Han Pijesak, Romania, Sokolac, Rogatica and Borik.

"The biggest massacre of Serbs was committed by the Ustasha troops on the Orthodox festivity  on March 22, 1942, in Stari Brod", the Prime Minister said and emphasized that unprecedented crimes, killings, tortures, rapes and throwing in the Drina river were so horrendous that even German units on the other side of the Drina could no longer watch the massacre of Serbs and  fired in the air to call Ustashas to retreat.

"There are countless examples of girls and women with children who, not wanting to be captured by the Ustashas, jumped from the rocks to the Drina river. It had been noted that 326 girls sacrificed themselves in one day jumping together into the Drina. Such an example of self-sacrifice is rarely recorded in history", emphasized Prime Minister Višković.

After the crimes during WWII, the sufferings of Serbs in the Podrinje area has happened again during the past Defense War.

"1,688 Serbs were killed in the Upper Podrinje region in the past war, while 164 are still reported missing. Civilians, the elderly, women and children were killed again, and no one was held accountable for that. It is up to us and future generations in this region to remember and not to forget the sufferings of our people who have not experienced justice", Prime Minister Višković said.

The Prime Minister emphasized that the Government and other institutions of Republic of  Srpska would never give up seeking justice, remembering and commemorating.

"Every life that has been unjustly taken deserves a special mention. May this ceremony be a wish and hope that such tragic events never happen again. May they rest in peace", Prime Minister Višković said.

Prime Minister of the Republic of Srpska Radovan Višković laid a wreath at the memorial site of the victims from 1942 as well as President of the Republic of Srpska Zeljka Cvijanović and the Serbian Member of the BiH Presidency Milorad Dodik.

Prime Minister Viškovic also attended the religious service conducted by the Orthodox Bishop Hrisostom of Dabrobosna in the Church of St. Lazarus and Holy Martyrs of Kosovo in Andricgrad.