Bosnia marks White Armband Day in Prijedor, honoring more than 3,000 war victims
Survivors, relatives of victims and human rights activists gathered in Prijedor on Sunday to mark White Armband Day, commemorating more than 3,000 victims of wartime crimes committed in the Bosnian city, including 102 children.
The annual observance recalls May 31, 1992, when local authorities ordered Bosniak and Croat civilians to mark their homes with white flags or sheets and wear white armbands in public, a measure widely regarded as a symbol of persecution during the Bosnian War.
According to Time Balkan the commemoration began in Prijedor’s Old Town at the site designated for a planned memorial to children killed during the conflict. Participants later marched through the city center, where 102 roses were laid in memory of the 102 children who lost their lives during the war.
Calls for children's memorial
Speaking on behalf of victims’ families, Fikret Bačić renewed calls for the construction of a memorial dedicated to the 102 murdered children.
Bačić said families had sought permission for years but local authorities had yet to approve the project.
He also criticized officials for failing to mention the children during recent commemorations marking the city's wartime defense, urging greater acknowledgment of civilian victims and a more honest confrontation with the past.
Preserving memory
Organizers from the civic initiative Jer me se tiče said White Armband Day serves to honor victims of war crimes committed in the Prijedor region and raise awareness of the consequences of discrimination, forced displacement and violence.
Held annually, the event brings together victims’ families, local residents and human rights advocates to preserve the memory of those killed and promote a culture of remembrance based on historical facts.
Prijedor was one of the areas most heavily affected by wartime atrocities during the 1992-95 Bosnian War, and White Armband Day has become a symbol of remembrance and calls for justice for victims.
