Today, on Christmas Eve, while our Catholic neighbors are preparing for Christmas, I feel the human need to remember one of the worst post-war crimes in Bosnia and Herzegovina. For the Anđelić family from Kostajnica near Konjic, this date is forever marked by loss and pain.
I think it is important to r/bihregardless of ethnicity, let us recall the facts of this crime. The culture of memory must not be selective – forgetting and relativization are the worst enemies of our common future.
What exactly happened?
On December 24, 2002, in the evening, Muamer Topalović broke into the family house of Anđelić in Kostajnica. Family members gathered before leaving at midnight. Topalović, armed with an automatic rifle, opened fire on the householders.
The following were killed on the spot:
• Anđelko Anđelić (father)
• Mara Anđelić (daughter)
• Zorka Anđelić (daughter)
Son Marinko Anđelić was seriously wounded.
Topalović was not an ordinary robbery criminal. He was an ideologically indoctrinated fanatic. During the investigation and trial, he confessed to the crime, and clearly cited religious and national hatred as the motive. He stated how it is "wanted to kill Croats on their holiest holiday" in order to send a frightening message to the returnees.
The cantonal court in Mostar sentenced him to 35 years in prison. It is important to note that during the trial the murderer showed no remorse for his actions.
What makes this case even more tragic is what followed the crime. The surviving members of the Anđelić family had to sue the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, seeking compensation for damages.
This is where we reach the defeat of the state and its institutions:
The Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina has been fighting against the payment of compensation in court for years. The attorney’s office referred to legal technicalities, claiming that it was not "terrorist act" (for which the state would bear responsibility because it did not prevent the violence), already "individual act/murder"thereby trying to remove responsibility from institutions and the budget.
The Supreme Court of FBiH only years later confirmed the verdicts in favor of the family, ordering the payment of compensation and monthly rent to the survivors. Imagine the pain – that after someone kills your loved ones out of ideological hatred, the state spends years of resources to prove how "it’s not her fault" and that he owes you nothing.
Kostajnica is a warning to all of us. This is proof of where radicalization and hatred lead, but also proof of how cold our institutions were (and remain) towards the victims.
Today, when we congratulate our neighbors on Christmas, let’s remember Anđelko, Mara and Zorka.
I wish the Anđelić family and all Catholics in BiH a peaceful Christmas Eve, with the hope that we will build a society in which this kind of evil will never happen again.
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Posted by vratiosevalter