More than 15,000 gather to commemorate Škabrnja massacre

Zagreb - The 26th anniversary of the massacre in Škabrnja, in which 86 civilians and defenders were killed in 1991, today was marked in the town of Škabrnja with a remembrance procession which brought together more than 15,000 people from all parts of Croatia.

The commemoration was attended, among others, by Deputy Speaker of Parliament Milijan Brkić and Defence Minister Damir Krstičević.

Brkić said Croatia today needed to work on creating a better future for its children and better living conditions for all its citizens so that as many as possible would stay in the country. He also commented on the fact that nobody had been brought to justice for the crimes in Škabrnja, saying that this was a sad page of Croatia's judiciary. He said that all those responsible must be brought to justice.

The massacre in Škabrnja was committed on 18 November 1991 by Serb paramilitary forces backed by the Yugoslav People's Army (JNA) under Ratko Mladić, currently on trial at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in The Hague. The village, located about 25 kilometres east of the coastal city of Zadar, was completely destroyed in the attack. 

Škabrnja remained under Serb occupation until August 1995 when it was regained by Croatian forces in a military offensive known as Operation Storm. The number of Croatian civilians killed during the occupation of the village rose to 86. (Hina) 
 

Autor: Hina