President pays respects to civilian victims of the Homeland War in Medviđa

In Medviđa, a village between Benkovac and Obrovac, another anniversary of a terrible crime from the Homeland War was marked. In retaliation for the Maslenica operation in the hamlet of Erstić 33 years ago, Serbian forces killed nine Croatian civilians, mostly elderly people.

The crime they committed was revenge for Military-Police Operation Maslenica, in which a large part of the Zadar hinterland was liberated.

The youngest victim was 18 years old, the oldest 88, all with the same last name - Erstić. To this day, no one has been held accountable for the crime, although the names of the murderers are known because they were all residents of Medviđa.

“33 years ago, in this crime, my grandmother and an aunt were killed on their doorstep. What can I say? This is a sad event that has not yet had a judicial epilogue, and probably will not, considering that more than 30 years have passed, but at least we remember, and especially the institutions, which have not been very engaged so far,” said Žarko Erstić.

The President of the Republic Zoran Milanović also came to pay respects to the victims. Along with the President, the wreath-laying ceremony was attended by the President's Advisor for Homeland War Veterans Marijan Mareković and the Deputy Commander of the Artillery-Missile Battalion of the Guards Mechanized Brigade, Major Antonio Burazer.

The victims were also paid tribute to by family members of the fallen civilians, delegations from the Government of the Republic of Croatia, Zadar County, the City of Biograd na Moru and the City of Benkovac, and representatives of associations of Croatian civilian victims and veterans, police, firefighters and local self-government.

Source: HRT