STEVANDIĆ: WE WILL NEVER AGAIN ALLOW OUR CHILDREN TO BE KILLED

BANJA LUKA, MAY 22 /SRNA/ – The Speaker of the National Assembly of Republika Srpska Nenad Stevandić stated at the commemoration of the 33rd anniversary of the deaths of 12 Banja Luka babies that Republika Srpska will never again allow anyone to kill its children in such a way, nor will it let the guilty find peace in a guilty conscience.

Stevandić said he did not know whether the Serb people would ever receive repentance or an apology for the deaths of the 12 babies in 1992 at the then Clinical Center in Banja Luka due to a lack of oxygen. He emphasized that those responsible were sending monstrous messages to the Serb people—that they could not persevere, had no right to exist, or must crawl just to survive. "By attending events like this, we are sending a strong message—not only about the culture of remembrance but also that we are waiting and will not allow the guilty conscience of those who committed one of the greatest crimes - killing 12 babies in a monstrous way - to rest easy," said the Speaker of the National Assembly of Republika Srpska. Stevandić stressed that Republika Srpska will continuously remind those who made decisions based on lies that their conscience has no right to peace. President of the Organization of Families of Captured, Fallen Soldiers and Missing Civilians of Republika Srpska Isidora Graorac stated that the goal of today's gathering was to highlight the great crime committed against 12 innocent lives. "The fact remains that no one has been held accountable for this crime and that all appeals from the families, who only asked for the UN Security Council's decision to be reversed, were ignored. It is difficult to comfort these mothers today, but as representatives of the non-governmental sector and our institutions, we are here to bring everyone who visits Banja Luka to this place," Graorac said. According to her, it is symptomatic that attacks on the Serb people continue even today. "The attacks on our people have not stopped, nor have the attacks on Republika Srpska, which we must all protect with all our strength because it is the only guarantee of the survival of Serbs in this region," Graorac added. Secretary of the 12 Stars Association Željka Tubić said that the babies' deaths became the greatest motivation for the newly formed Army of Republika Srpska to launch a decisive and honorable battle—a battle for life. "It was a battle for all of us - the breakthrough of the corridor," Tubić stated. She emphasized that with that historic battle and the victory of the Army of Republika Srpska, the agony at the Clinical Center in Banja Luka ended, and a greater tragedy across the Krajina region was avoided. "Each year on this day, we send a message to the entire world from this place that such a crime must never happen again, anywhere - and that the deaths of our babies must serve as a warning for all future actions," Tubić said. She thanked everyone who came to mark the 33rd anniversary of the deaths of the 12 Banja Luka babies, so that this crime would never be forgotten. The Mayor of Banja Luka Draško Stanivuković said that this crime was committed by the hands of powerful people—those who today speak of human rights. "Even 33 years later, we hear lectures about human rights and how we are expected to behave. What hurts the most is that the 12 babies did not die because there were no medicines—but because of the absence of a single phone call that could have allowed oxygen to be delivered," Stanivuković stressed. He added that it was everyone’s duty to be present at this place today, as this tragic story must be shared with the world. Wreaths and flowers were laid at the Life Memorial by representatives of the President of Republika Srpska, the Ministry of Labor and Veterans' and Disabled Protection of Republika Srpska, the Consulate of Serbia, members of the National Assembly of Republika Srpska, veterans' NGOs, participants of the "12 Kilometers for 12 Stars" march from Osječani near Doboj, and numerous other representatives of political and public life. Earlier today, a memorial service was held and flowers were laid at the monument to the 12 babies at the New Cemetery. The commemoration was organized by the Republika Srpska Organization of Families of Captured and Fallen Soldiers and Missing Civilians. In May and June 1992, a UN Security Council decision banned international flights—including those carrying oxygen tanks from Belgrade to Banja Luka—resulting in the deaths of 12 newborn babies who were in incubators. The first baby died on May 22, 1992, followed by the agonizing deaths of the others. By June 19 of that year, 12 babies had died, becoming a symbol of the violation of human rights and the inhumanity of the international community. The agony was ended by the breakthrough of the corridor and the connection of the Banja Luka region with other parts of Republika Srpska and Serbia. The thirteenth baby, Slađana Kobas, died at the age of 14, while the fourteenth baby, Marko Medaković, suffered lifelong consequences from the lack of oxygen.