Three victims of the past war have been identified in the premises of the Tuzla Commemoration Center on Monday. These are Bosniak victims who disappeared in 1992 and whose remains were exhumed at various locations.
The identity of the victims was determined on the basis of a DNA analysis, and today their family members have officially confirmed the identity.
The following were identified: Mejruša (Ibro) Šahbegović, born in 1911 in Grbavica near Zvornik, posthumously exhumed in 2018 from the Rovaši individual grave in Milići; Avdo (Hasib) Kuljančić, born in 1973 in Sadići near Vlasenica, remains found in 2007 on the surface of the Pelemishi locality in Sekovići; Ibro (Ibrahim) Đekić, born in 1955 in Nova Kasaba, remains exhumed in 2003 from the mass grave of Kazanbašča in Zvornik.
On October 27th this year, the remains of the victims, who were exhumed on June 5th this year from a mass grave found at Lokvice on Igman Mountain, have been identified at the premises of the “City Cemeteries” in Visoko.
The complete remains of 12 victims of the past war were exhumed from the a primary mass grave, and it was assumed that the remains belong to Bosniaks from Donji Hadzici, who were killed at the site, who in the summer of 1992 tried to cross the territory under the control of the Army of the RBiH through Igman Mountain.
To several victims’legs were tied with a military belt. In addition to their clothing and footwear, there were also personal items such as medicines, personal hygiene items, jewelry.
The location of the mass grave was discovered through the cooperation of the institutions and the exchange of information between the Institute for Missing Persons of BiH, the Prosecutor’s Office of BiH and SIPA, and a significant contribution was made by the Federal Civil Protection Administration.
After exhumation, bone samples from the victims were excluded to establish their identity by DNA analysis. So far, DNA records for ten exhumed victims have arrived at the Institute for Missing Persons of BiH, and their remains have been officially identified today by their family members.
Identification is underway for two more victims who were exhumed from this mass grave, so their identification will be scheduled later. The location and timing of the victims’ burial will be decided by families in the coming period.