Today we commemorate the 31st anniversary of the killing of the Klapuh family in Foča, Bosnia and Herzegovina, on July 6, 1992, during the war. This war crime was committed by members of the special unit “Dragan Nikolić” of the Army of Republika Srpska.
To mark this occasion, we organized a gathering at the “Obrad Cicmil” bridge in Plužine, where we laid flowers in memory of the tragic death of the Klapuh family. Our intention was to remind the public, especially the relevant institutions, that those convicted of this war crime have still not been brought to justice. Additionally, there is still no designated day of remembrance, no memorial site, and no monument erected for the war crime committed against the Klapuh family.
Alongside colleagues from the Youth Initiative for Human Rights, Tanja Čolan Deretić, a senior state prosecutor at the Special Prosecutor’s Office, Sead Šahman and Bejto Šahmanović from the Bosniak Council, as well as Ljubica Kulić from the Municipality of Plužine, were also present at the commemoration.
Program Coordinator Vaskrsija Klačar emphasized the tragic nature of the Klapuh family’s murder, especially considering that the killers were acquaintances who offered them a safe passage from Foča to Montenegro but, instead, shot them at the bridge and threw them off afterwards. Highlighting the fact that even after 31 years, the members of the RS Army who were sentenced to 20 years in prison have not yet been brought to justice to serve their sentences, she particularly called upon young people to familiarize themselves with the war crimes committed in the 1990s and to contribute through their actions to ensuring that such crimes are never repeated.
Senior State Prosecutor Tanja Čolović Deretić reminded the public of the verdicts issued in the case of the war crime against the Klapuh family and mentioned that the only person who served a prison sentence was Vidoje Golubović, for a period of eight months, due to not reporting the crime.
Bejto Šahmanović from the Bosniak Council mentioned that the Bosniak Council in Montenegro supports the Youth Initiative for Human Rights, urging representatives of the relevant institutions to establish a memorial monument at this site and incorporate the facts stated in the verdict into the educational curriculum. The prosecution and punishment of war crimes are moral, legal, and political obligations of Montenegro on its European path and a pledge for the future to prevent the recurrence of such crimes. Mr. Šahmanović called on the Ministry of Justice and the Government of Montenegro to assume certain responsibilities to extradite those accused of this crime.
According to available information, Zoran Vuković, one of the convicted individuals, is in Serbia. Zoran Vuković was arrested on December 25, 2015, when Serbian police officers, during a routine document check at the Kotroman border crossing, discovered that an international warrant had been issued against him by Montenegro, leading to his extradition detention. However, the extradition process has not been carried out to this day, despite the announcement that Montenegro has requested his extradition. The question arises as to why Vuković has not been extradited to Montenegro yet. Is anyone even seeking the other participants in this crime?
We urge the authorities to act in accordance with the verdict and bring to justice all those who have been conclusively sentenced to imprisonment. The convicted war criminals for the murder of the Klapuh family have not yet served their sentences, and we cannot say that this war crime has received its deserved conclusion, and justice has still not been served.
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