Bosnia marks Martyrs Day to remember war victims
Bosnia-Herzegovina would not exist today if martyrs did not show courage and give sacrifices: Bosnian leader Izetbegovic
A ceremony held at the at Martyrs' Memorial Cemetery Kovaci during the second day of Eid al-Fitr (also regarded as the Martyrs' Day in Bosnia and Herzegovina) in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina on June 16, 2018.
( Samir Yordamoviç - Anadolu Agency )
BELGRADE, Serbia
A ceremony was held on the second day of Eid at the Kovaci Cemetery in Bosnia's capital Sarajevo to remember the sacrifices of people during the 90s Bosnian War.
The ceremony was attended by relatives of victims as well as Bosniak Member of the Presidency of Bosnia, Bakir Izetbegovic.
Wreaths and flowers were laid at the martyrdom monument and at the grave of Bosnia's first President, Alija Izetbegovic, who had led the country to independence.
Bakir Izetbegovic said Bosnians at the time did not have a regular army and when the war in Bosnia began, it was isolated from the world with an arms embargo against Bosniaks.
He emphasized that Bosniak youths defended their country with their lives against the Yugoslav People's Army (JNA), Europe's fourth greatest armed force, at the time.
"Bosnia and Herzegovina would not exist [today] if they did not show this courage and sacrificed their lives. Our people are always ready for this sacrifice," Izetbegovic said.
After the Bosnian War, which took place between 1992 and 1995, the second day of Eid has been marked as Martyrs Day in the Balkan state.
