BOSNIAN REACTION:MOTHERS AND relatives of men and boys slaughtered at Srebrenica in 1995 by troops under the command of Gen Ratko Mladic shed tears for their loved ones again yesterday after his arrest.
“This represents a small bit of justice for my heart, my soul and my pain,” said Sabaheta Fejzic (55), who lost her only son, her husband and many other male relatives in the massacre.
Many of them recall vividly how Gen Mladic presented himself to them as their protector, then slaughtered thousands.
Bosnian Serb forces commanded by Mladic on July 11th, 1995, took over the eastern enclave of Srebrenica that had been put under United Nations protection.
Most residents had gathered at a UN compound, hoping the world body would keep them safe from the carnage all around.
“Mladic came and said not a hair on anyone’s head would be touched,” Ms Fejzic recalled during an interview at the Mothers of Srebrenica Association office. “Minutes later, the killings began.” She remembers screams, cries, rapes and slaughter.
“On July 13th, deportations started. While we walked towards buses and trucks, they took away my child . . . I found him in a mass grave and buried him two years ago,” Ms Fejzic said.
“I could not protect my innocent child. All of this was the guilt of Ratko Mladic,” Ms Fejzic said, with tears in her eyes. She is still searching for the body of her husband. Mladic has been indicted twice over the Srebrenica genocide. – (Reuters)