On March 26, 1992, a massacre was committed in Sijekovac near Bosanski Brod by armed groups that later on joined the Croatian Defence Council (HVO), together with other members of Croatian military formations, including the Croatian Defence Forces (HOS). The attack on this village led to the death of Serb civilians and destruction of their homes.

Several persons were taken out of their homes in the village Sijekovac and nine of them were killed, while several houses were burned down. The crimes committed in this part of Bosanski Brod were some of the first war crimes against civilians on the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

A church was built as a monument in Sijekovac in the spot of the former church that was destroyed during the war. Inside, there is a commemorative plaque dedicated to all persons from this village who were killed.

In spite of evidence gathering and testimonies about the murders in Sijekovac, only Zemir Kovačević was convicted of this war crime and sentenced to a 10-year prison sentence.

Kovačević was convicted of murders, torture, illegal detention, plundering and unjustified destruction of property belonging to Serb civilians in Sijekovac in March and April 1992 and sentenced to 10 years in prison.

The territory of Bosanski Brod remained in the hands of the Croatian Army until October 1992, when the operation Corridor was launched and the Army of Republika Srpska seized this municipality in the north of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Although it is considered that the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina started on April 6, 1992, crimes as this one in Sijekovac show the complexity of this topic. Given the war that was going on in the neighbouring Croatia back then, in some cases it also impacted the border towns and villages in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

If we also take into account the attack against Ravno at the end of 1991 and attacks and crimes against civilians in Bijeljina and other places prior to April 6, 1992, we may conclude that it is important to include these crimes or their victims in the culture of remembrance of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Such commemorative activities remind us of the brutality of war and importance of establishing a permanent and sustainable peace in the region.

The text was written in cooperation with Tačno.net.