- Published: 19.11.2015.
24th anniversary of Skabrnja massacre marked
Delegations of state officials and numerous associations of war veterans and civilians laid wreaths and lit candles at the site of a mass grave with the victims' remains
A remembrance procession with about 10,000 participants from all over Croatia and neighbouring Bosnia and Herzegovina on Wednesday marked in Skabrnja the beginning of events commemorating a massacre committed by the Yugoslav People's Army and Serb paramilitaries against 84 people - 26 Croatian defenders and 58 civilians - in that village near the coastal city of Zadar 24 years ago.
Delegations of state officials and numerous associations of war veterans and civilians laid wreaths and lit candles at the site of a mass grave with the victims' remains, after which a memorial service was conducted by Gospic Archbishop Mile Bogovic.
Unlike in previous years, there were no speeches by state officials and representatives of associations and political parties at the central commemoration.
After the commemoration, the procession, which also included Parliament Deputy Speaker Dragica Zgrebec and Public Administration Minister Arsen Bauk, went to the local cemetery where wreaths were laid and candles lit.
A remembrance march will be organised from Benkovac via Nadin to Skabrnja on November 19, to mark the 24th anniversary of the Skabrnja and Nadin atrocities.