History will eventually reveal what happened in Croatia!

[sa...@idt.net]

“Dogs, Serbs and Jews Not Allowed,”
was the slogan painted on Serbian houses
by Croats and Muslims in Bosnia in 1992.

A quote by Tin Ujevic, a Croatian poet:

[‘It is not a problem that Croats lived in Austro-Hungary. The problem
is that Austro-Hungary lives in the Croats.’]

As you read the following text it is worth mentioning a letter to the
editor of the New York Times, dated December 26, 1994, by a free lance
journalists, Vanni Cappelli. He said: ‘Back home, I set down my
experiences in an article that contained my eyewitness accounts of the
aftermath of a Muslim ethnic cleansing campaign directed against the
Croat inhabitants of the Travnik region, systematic profiteering from
internationally donated humanitarian aid by Muslim army commanders in
the city of Zenica. No publication in the United States has wanted to
publish my account. Surely, truth is ill served when what is seen
cannot be told.’

There are 212 Serbian churches destroyed in the current Balkan civil
war. This is only a partial list placed in alphabetic order for easier
reference.

Batinjani in the Pakrac municipality. The Serbian Orthodox Church of
St. Dimitrius the Martyr was built in 1739 and the iconostasis was
created about 1747. The priest, Fr. Stanoje Popovic, one of the leading
masters of popular fresco painting in the first half of the 18th century
was the painter. In 1991, Croatian terrorists and civilians carried out
the complete destruction of this church.

BELO BERDO
The Serbian church of St. Nicholas built in 1764 was taken over during
the Second World War and converted to a Roman Catholic church. After
destroying the iconostasis and religious objects, the Croatians returned
the church. In 1991, outside war maneuvers, this church was severely
damages, it artifacts were once again destroyed.

BJELOVAR
The Serbian Cathedral was built in 1784. when the iconostasis of Jovan
Cetirevic Grabovan was relocated, the new iconostasis was painted by
Celestin Medovic and Bela Cikos in 1902. Interior frescos were painted
by I. Tisov and H. Hohnejc. The church was a registered landmark. In
1991 the church was gutted by the Croatian militia along with the parish
center.

Bolc
In the Zagreb-Ljubljana Diocese, the Serbian Orthodox Church of Sts.
Gabriel and Michael the Archangels was built in 1975. Its cultural
goods included a printed venetian Book of Psalms, dated in 1642. The
church was listed as a world-class landmark. In 12991, the church was
damaged and its interior was gutted with explosives. This damage was
done outside war maneuvers.

Brocanac
In the Dalmatian Diocese. The Serbian church of The Apostles Sts. Peter
and Paul was built in the 18th century and was renovated in 1805. In
1991 the church was damaged during war maneuvers. the extent of damage
has not been assessed as the Serbians have been prohibited from seeing
the property.

Brsadin, Croatia
The Serbian Orthodox Church of St. Gabriel the Archangel was built in
1750. A new belfry was built by Anton Semper in 1834. The iconostasis
was painted by Marko Peros. The church was renovated in 1983. In 1991,
the belfry was damaged, as was the front facade of the church, destroyed
by dynamite.

Dalj, Croatia
In the Karlovac Diocese, the Serbian Orthodox Church of St. Dimitrius
the Martyr, the bishopric cathedral was built in 1799. It was one of
the most monumental late Baroque churches in the Karlovac diocese. The
iconostasis was painted by Pavel Djurkovic, one of the leading
representatives of Serbian classicism-Biedermeier painting. The
iconostasis was concluded in 1822, and the art work was finished in
1824. In 1942, the church was demolished and the iconostasis was
burned. The demolition was led by Roman Catholic priest Josip Astalos.
The rebuilt structure was again attacked in 1991, and the church facade
was damaged.

Dalj
The Serbian church of the Dormition of the Most Holy Virgin was built by
Metropolitan Pavle Nenadovic in 1759. The iconostasis was painted by
leading Serbian Baroque masters Vasilije Ostojic and Dimitrije Bacevic.
In 1941 this church was the first church of the Osjecko Polje Diocese to
be destroyed in the First Independent State of Croatia. The church
furnishings were destroyed, along with most of the iconostasis, while
only the upper parts were saved. The chapel was renovated in the postwar
period. In 19991, Croatian militia mined the en trace to the church.
It has not been possible to confirm the extent of the current damage.

Darda
The Serbian Orthodox Church of St. Michael the Archangel was built in
1777. The iconostasis and church furnishings date to the time the
structure was built. In 1991, the Croatian militia damaged the church
facade with shells. The extent of the damage is not fully known.

Derventa
Bosnia-Herzegovina, 1992. Fr. Nikodin Cavic, a retired Serbian Orthodox
priests and lawyer gave testimony that he was in a building surrounded
by Bosnian Muslims who captured him and several local citizens including
a number of children. The Muslims raped children as young as six years
of age, then murdered and dismembered them. Dozens of Serbian children
in the village were slaughtered that day, many of whom were cut into
numerous pieces.

Doljani
In the Slavonia Diocese of Croatia. The Serbian Orthodox Church of St.
Elijah was built in 1805 and renovated in 1904 and 1979. The parapet
tiles of the iconostasis had depictions of Tsar Lazar, Tsarina Milica
and the 9 Jugovics. During the Second World War on August 2, 1943, on
the day the church’s saint’s day, Croatians destroyed the walls, roof
and structure, belfry window and doors. The wood carved iconostasis,
ceremonial objects, books and the archives were all destroyed; only one
chalice and two candlesticks were saved. The church was completely
restored during the postwar period. In 1991, during war maneuvers, the
church was completely destroyed along with the iconostasis and the
furnishings and ceremonial objects.

Donji Bogicevci
Slavonia Diocese in Croatia. The Serbian church of the Resurrection Of
The Lord was build in the second half of the 18th century. The
iconostasis contained 24 icons from that period. In 12943, the church
was completely destroyed, including all religious objects, leaving walls
of only several meters in height. A new church was constructed on the
old foundation during the postwar period. In 1991, Croatian militia
severely damaged the church. The bell tower was destroyed and the
facade was eliminated. The iconostasis and furnishings were ruined and
only a few small icons survived.

Donji Zemunik
In the Dalmatia Diocese. The Serbian Orthodox Church of St. Sava began
construction just before the Second World War and was completed during
the postwar years. On April 1, 1991, the church was demolished. Icons
and religious objects are missing from the church.

Drnis
Dalmatia Diocese. The Serbian Orthodox Church of the Dormition of the
Most Holy Virgin was originally built in 1618 and was replaced by a new
building in 1905. During the Second World War, Friar Petar Berkovic led
the desecration of the church-looting it of its religious objects,
particularly the liturgy books. In 1991, the church was considerably
damaged during war maneuvers and the belfry was shelled.

Gabos
The Serbian Orthodox Church of The Birth of the Most Holy Virgin was
built in 1810. The iconostasis belongs to the category of popular naive
art and, according to the records, was painted in 1844. In 1991, during
war operations, the church was shelled and hit four times destroying the
bell tower completely and causing great damage to the structure.

Glina
Gornji Karlovac Diocese. The Serbian church of the Birth of the Most
Holy Virgin was constructed in 1826 in the reigning spirit of
classicism. On August 12, 1941, the Ustashi completely burned the
church with hundreds of Serbian villagers inside. In 1963, a completely
new church was built on the foundation of the old church. In 1991, the
Croatian militia bombed the facade destroying the front half of the
church.

Gornja Obreza
Slavonia Diocese of Croatia. The Serbian Orthodox Church of St. John
the Apostle was built in 1747. The iconostasis was painted in the
second half of the 18th century by an unknown fresco painter who
inscribed the icons in Greek letters, indicating his origin. An
inventory compiled in 1874 indicates that the church altar had 5 icons
and the iconostasis contained 50 icons. In 1991, Croatian militia
completely burned and destroyed the church and all of its contents.

Gornji Petrovci
The Serbian Orthodox Church of the Resurrection of the Lord was built in
1769. The iconostasis paintings belong to the popular art from the
first half of the 19th century. There were painted in a fresco style
that can be ascribed to Bogdan Djukic. The altar area and naos walls
contain depictions of saints painted on canvas and blued to the walls.
In 1991, the church was shelled and the belfry cap wand naos root
structure were damaged.

Gornji Tovarnik
The Serbian Orthodox Church of St. George the Martyr was built by master
builder Petar Suvakovic in 1797. The walls and the choir loft paintings
were done by Petar Cortanovic, according to the contract signed in
1834. The iconostasis paintings appeared in the mid 19th century. The
Virgin’s icon contains the founder’s inscription signed in 1853 by Jovan
Isajlovic the Younger. The church was renovated in 1903, at which time
Stevan Todorovic painted two wall compositions as evidenced by the
inscription on the western wall of the church. In 1942, the church was
damaged and looted, and the archives and books were completely
destroyed. The church was restored in postwar periods. In 1991, the
church tower was hit by several shells. The walls are cracked and the
frescoes were damaged. The iconostasis and church furnishings were
ruined.

Gospic
In the Gornji Karlovac Diocese. The Serbian Orthodox Church of St.
George was built in 1785. The iconostasis was painted in 1902 and the
work was accomplished by Professor Bauer from Zagreb. In 1942, the
church was burned to the ground with several hundred Serbian villagers
inside. All church furnishings were destroyed. In 19064, the church
was rebuild on the same site. In 1991, the Croatian Ustashi again
destroyed the church-but, since the Serbs were cleansed from the
village, its is not possible to confirm the extent of the current
damage.

Grubisno Polje
In the Zagreb-Ljubljana Diocese. The Serbian Orthodox Church was built
in 1776 and renovated in 1829. Serbian Orthodox Bishop Sofronije
Jovanovic dedicated the epitaphios in 1750. During the Second World
War, Croatian Ustashi damaged the church and seven old manuscripts were
destroyed. The church was renovated in postwar periods. The Church of
St. George was the first of the Croatian targets during WW II. The
church doors were sealed by Croat special police on august 15, 1991 and
the parish priest was prohibited from moving about without a police
permit. The majority of the Serbian population was cleansed by the
Croatian National Guard, ‘Black Shirts’ led by Stojan Sustin, a CDU
activist who harassed and eliminated many Serbs. Most fled. Nearly all
of the Serbian homes in the area were dynamited while this area was
supposedly under UNPROFOR protection. The Croats used 16,000 National
Guard troops, 100 artillery weapons and 36 tanks, raiding 20 Serbian
settlements and villages. Nearly 1,200 Serbs fled to Belgrade as
refugees.

Imotski
Dalmatia Diocese. The Serbian Orthodox Church of the Dormition of the
Most Holy Virgin was built in 1720 and renovated in 1884. On October 9,
1991, Croatian militia bombed the church. The roof collapsed and the
walls cracked. The main doors were blown off, stone floor slabs flew
out of their positions and the windows fell out. The iconostasis and
other church furnishings were destroyed.

Jagodnja
Dalmatia Diocese. The Serbian Orthodox Church of St. Simeon the Stylite
was built in the 18th century and renovated in 1869. During WW II, the
church was partially damaged and the register book and church objects
were damaged. In 1991, the church facade was bombed and damaged. The
extend of interior damage can not be verified at this time.

Kabo Kod Bolca
Zagreb-Ljubljana Diocese. The Serbian Orthodox Church of St. Nicholas
dates from the end of the 18th century and was recently renovated. In
12991, the facade was bombed and damaged with machine-gun fire. There
is no reliable data regarding other damage at this time. The church is
under the control of Croatian forces.

Karlovac
Located along the Korana River, southwest of Zagreb. In the fall of
1990, while the body of His Grace Bishop Simeon lay in state, the
diocesan residence was ransacked several times by Croatian mobs. The
church flag at haft mast was ripped from the flagpole and burned in the
town center. The Serbian clergy was abused. The walls of the St.
Nicholas Church were defaced with profanity. The old church and the
Serbian cathedral were vandalized. The international Red Cross
established a transit center for refugees in this church structure, but
current data about its condition are unavailable. The Karlovac Diocese
Treasury contains icons, books and valuables that were removed from the
Orthodox churches in this diocese during the Second World War. They
were returned to the Serbian Orthodox Church in 1982 by the Vatican and
were displayed in the Serbian Diocese Museum. A large collection of
portraits of Gornji Karlovac Serbian Orthodox bishops is kept in the
diocese residence. In 1991, Croatian militia forces broke into the
diocese residence taking these treasures to an unknown location. The
Serbian Orthodox Church of St. Nicholas Cathedral was built in 1785 by
Karlovac master builder Josip Stiler. The icons were painted by
Arsenije Teodorovic, the most prominent Serbian classicist painter.
Dragutin Inkiostri Medenjak decorated the walls. In 1991, the church
was lightly damaged during war maneuvers. However, on January 6th,
1992, on Eastern orthodox Christmas eve, an explosion destroyed the
church and all of its contents.

Konjic
Bosnia-Herzegovina in the north end of the Neretva River valley. Muslim
detention camp in the athletic arena and military camp. On June 15,
1992, 13 Serbs were killed while being detained. They are: Velimir
Cecez, Vlado Cecez, Milos Cecez, Dusan Cecez, Pero Cecez, Mirko Cecez,
Predrag Kuljanin, Tihomir Kuljanin, Rade Ninkovic, Mirko Ninkovic, Stevo
Ninkovic, Novica Zivak and Zeljko Cecez. As the most insulting cultural
genocide that can be perpetrated against the Serbs, the Serbian
Orthodox Church in Konjic was converted into a public toilet.

Konjevrate
Dalmatia Diocese. The Serbian Orthodox Church of St. Dimitrius was
built in 1864. In 1991 the church was shelled during military
maneuvers, but the extent of the damage can not be verified.

Koprivna
The Serbian Orthodox Church of the Birth of the Most Holy Virgin was one
of the oldest preserved Serbian Orthodox churches in the Osjecko Polje
Diocese. It was built in the Middle Ages and renovated in 1757. during
WW II, the church was converted into a Roman Catholic Church. At the
time, the iconostasis was destroyed, but the local people saved some of
the individual icons. IN the postwar period the church was returned to
the Serbian Orthodox people. However, many of the icons remain at the
Vatican. In 1991, the church was almost completely destroyed along with
all of its furnishings.

Koprivnica
In the Zagreb-Ljubljana Diocese. The Serbian Orthodox Church of the
Holy Trinity was approved for construction on June 24, 1791 and it took
three years to build. It was dedicated on May 16, 1795. The
iconostasis had 30 icons and dates from the time of the Serbian Orthodox
bishop Kiril Zivkovic and was positioned in 1810. The wood carving was
done by Joakim Djakovic. The church was renovated in 1938. During WW
II, the Ustashi damaged the church which was restored in postwar years.
In 1991, the church was again damaged outside of war maneuvers and was
looted.

Kostajnica
Gornji Karlovac Diocese. The Serbian Orthodox Church of Sts Gabriel and
Michael the Archangels was the old cathedral of the former Kostajnica
bishopric built in 1743. It was a representative Baroque structure and
its iconostasis was painted by Ukrainian master, Vasilije Romanovic in
1759. The church was almost completely destroyed in WWII however, some
sections of the old iconostasis were preserved. A new church was built
after the war and the remaining pieces of icons by Vasilije Romanovic
were placed in the church. The remaining sections of icons are among
the most valuable cultural-artistic documents of the Serbian Baroque
period. In 1991, the northwestern side of the church was shelled by the
Croats and the blast damaged these valuable pieces of art.

Kukunjevac
The Serbian Orthodox Church of St. Paraskevi was built in 1782 on the
foundation of an older wooden church. The iconostasis was painted in
1896. During WW II, the church was completely burned to the ground with
700 Serbs inside. The church was rebuild along with a memorial center
commemorating the genocide of the Serbs. On October 9, 1991, the
Croatian militia bombed the church and memorial center completely
destroying these structures.

Lovska
The Serbian Orthodox Church of Theodore of Tyron was constructed in 1786
and the iconostasis was painted in 1842. In WW II, the church was
damaged and all the ceremonial items, books and archives were
destroyed. The church was rebuilt in postwar periods. In 1991, the
Croatian militia did considerable damage to the church, bombing it
outside of any war maneuvers.

Mali Zdenci
The Serbian Orthodox Church of the Birth of the Most Holy Virgin was
build with logs and renovated in 1761. In 1942, the church was
partially demolished and most of the church furnishings looted. After
the war, the church was restored and belonged to a list of first
category of landmarks. In 1991, the church was again damaged outside of
any war maneuvers. On October 5, 12991, it was broken into and
demolished. Icons that survived WW II were removed from the iconostasis
and confiscated. The icons destroyed include Christ on the Throne,
painted in 1745, and two smaller icons, the Virgin and Child and one of
Jesus Christ.

Markusica
The Serbian church of the Descent of the Holy Spirit was built in 1810.
A monumental single-nave structure with a tall belfry was in the spirit
of classicism. The iconostasis was painted between 1775 and 1777,
ascribed to painter Jovan Isjlovic the Elder. The church was converted
to a Roman Catholic Church during the war and the iconostasis was
dismantled. The icons in the choir loft remained. The rest of the
church furnishings were preserved and returned to the Serbs after the
war. In 1991, the church was hit by several shells and the tower was
showered with machine gun fire. The facade was destroyed along with the
priceless stained glass windows.

Medari
The Serbian Orthodox Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord was built
in 1777 and restored in 1834, it was a Baroque structure and was
considered the prettiest parish church in the Pakrac area. During WW
II, the Ustashas set fire to the interior damaging most of the
furnishings. Only a small number of icons were saved. The church was
restored in postwar years. In 1991, Croatian militia struck the church
with several shells, and the northern wall of the naos was damaged and
the bell tower was destroyed. The interior of the church was demolished
with knives and axes.

Mostar
In addition to cleansing 30,000 Serbs from Mostar in 1992, more than
4,000 Serbs were killed or listed as missing. The first victim in
Mostar was the Serbian Orthodox Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, it was
considered one of the most significant Orthodox structures in the
region. It was listed an international historical monument and its
altar was the tallest in the Balkans, a gift from the Russian Czar,
Alexander III. The church of the Virgin Mary, rebuilt in 1833 after it
was destroyed by the Turks was this time destroyed by Muslims and Croats
in 1992. The Mostar bridge built by Suleiman the Magnificent in 1557
was the last historical monument destroyed by the Croats in Mostar.

Munjava
The Serbian Orthodox Church of Sts. Michael and Gabriel the Archangels
was built in 1838. It was completely destroyed in WW II and was rebuilt
in postwar years. In 1991, the Croatian militia bombed the church and
again severely damaged the church.

Narta
The Serbian Orthodox Church dedicated to St. George the Martyr was
constructed in 1694 and was renovated in 1781. The iconostasis dates to
1839. It is listed as a first-class world monument. In 1991, the
church was damaged along with the parish center but the extent of
damage cannot be verify as this property is in the hands of the Croatian
militia.

Nova Gradiska
The Serbian Orthodox Church of the Holy Trinity was built in 1736 and
renovated in 1824 and again in 1885. On July 7, 1941 the church was
burned and the remaining structure was declared unfit and ordered razed
by the Ustashi government. Serbs interned in the Ustashi camp, Stara
Gradiska, were brought to demolish what remained of the church as a way
of demoralizing the Serbs. The iconostasis, dating from 1814, according
to archive material, was painted by Italian masters and was destroyed
along with most of the ceremonial objects. A new church was built in
1982, designed by architect Dragomir Tadic and was dedicated on October
3rd of that same year. The archives, old books and a small number of
icons that survived the destruction in WW II were being kept in the
bishopric residence. The clergy was forced to abandon their residence
in 1991 thus the fate of the cultural movable objects is unknown.

Pakrac
The Serbian Orthodox Cathedral and Bishop’s residence was totally
destroyed in 1991. The Bishop’s resident was originally built in 1732
on the site of an earlier wooden residence. The residence contained a
chapel, the iconostasis of which displayed a true little gallery of
Serbian 18th century art work. The salons displayed a gallery of
portraits of Serbian Orthodox Bishop Stefanovic, who was head of the
diocese from 1721-1743. some of these portraits were painted by the
post prominent Serbian artists; the portrait of Josif Javanovic
Sakabenta was the work of Teodor Ilic Cesljar, and the monumental
portrait of Serbian Orthodox Bishop Kiril Zivkovic was painted by
Arsenije Teodorovic. The residence was declared a landmark of the
highest category. In March, 1991, all the priests were driven out. The
bishop was mistreated by Croat special police and made to stand naked in
public. He was then forced to move to a parish house in Slavanska
Pozega. Executives of the secondary school took over the church lands
for their own use. On April 23, 12991, the Orthodox Religious book
store was destroyed by Croats. Over 4,000 Serbian refugees fled to
Belgrade when the residence of the diocese and the Cathedral church and
seminary were shelled by Croat forces. A machine gun nest was installed
inside the residence by Croat forces.

The Serbian Cathedral in Pakrac was built in 1757 and completed in 1769
during the time of Bishop Arsenije Radivojevic. The church was
renovated several times, but the most important renovation was carried
out by Herman Bole in 1898 in the spirit of eclecticism which was
prominent at the time. A new iconostasis and other furnishings were
also placed in the church at the time of this renovation. during the
Second World War, the Ustashi broke into the church and stole valuable
ceremonial equipment and destroyed books and the archives. The interior
of the church was set on fire on September 28, 1991. The iconostasis,
icons, furnishings, were all burned by Croatian militia.

The chapel of the Birth of the Most Holy Virgin in Pakrac was built in
1672. Bishop Petronije Ljubibratic built the old wooden structure and
he was buried in it and since that time it has served as the mausoleum
of the Slavonian Serbian Orthodox Bishops. The church was renovated in
sturdier material by Slovenian Bishop Gavrilo Popovic (1715-1716) and
was nicknamed Gavrinica after him. During WW II, the facade was damaged
and the interior was considerably demolished. the majority of the old
icons were destroyed and only the throne Icons were saved. On September
28, 1991, on the same night that the Cathedral church was burned the
Croatian militia destroyed this chapel, including all the church
furnishings. The iconostasis was preserved, although several icons were
ruined.

The Seminary building in Pakrac, built in 1850 which operated from 1809
to 1871. After this time it was used by the Serbian Teachers’ College.
It is a one-story building in classicist style located next to the
Serbian Cathedral. On the evening of September 28, 1991, the Croatian
militia burned the structure to the ground.

The Serbian Orthodox Church of Sts. Peter and Paul was built in the
mid-18th century. It was dedicated on May 12, 1752 by the Pakrac bishop
Sofronije Jovanovic. The church was razed to the ground by the Ustashi
in 19042. At that time, the iconostasis and church furnishings were
completely destroyed. A church dedicated to St. Dimitrius was rebuilt
from this foundation in 1969. In 1991, the church was severely damaged
and the parish center was completely destroyed.

Croatian HVO, aided and abetted by 15 retired American generals,
attacked Okucani and Pakrac on May 1st and 2nd, 1995, in which 4,000
Serbians were brutally exterminated. Like the Vietnam War, this was
another My Lai and American fingerprints were all over this atrocity.
The Holy Synod of Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church released a
document on May 19, 1995, signed by Patriarch Pavle. In this document
the Patriarch disclosed that the Diocese of Slavonia which existed
without interruption since the 16th century, met with final
destruction—the bishop now in exile, his clergy without a single
parish. The document also disclosed that Fr. Sava Pocuca, a Serbian
Orthodox priest, fled in an automobile with a Serbian mother and her 4
children. The children were dragged out of the car by the Croat
military and their throats slashed, before the mother was then shot.
Fr. Pocuca was sprayed with 7 bullets when he tried to intercede, he was
left for dead. He spent months in the Banja Luka hospital in critical
condition. He is not just a survivor, he is a witness. He has given a
statement indicating that hundreds of Serbs were dragged from their cars
and off of their wagons and trucks and butchered like animals. He said
it is an appalling lie for the media to report that these Serbs were
killed because they were caught in ‘cross fire.’

The document by the Holy Synod of Bishops indicates that on May 11th,
1995, Fr. Lazo Dejanac, a Serbian Orthodox priest who escaped to the
Bosnian Krajina, died of a heart attack because of the hardship he
endured. Fr. Dejanac said he witnessed appalling atrocities of
decapitation, and brutal slaughter. The nuns of the Monastery of St.
Ann were expelled and the monastery was looted. Based on the
testimonies of hundreds of witnesses who managed to escape, the Synod of
Bishops believe that the number of dead was 5,000. The corpses of these
victims were disposed of by cremation, their bloody traces were cleansed
before officials of UNPROFOR and other international humanitarian
organizations were allowed access to the sites of the crimes. One
witness appeared on Belgrade television Studio B and displayed
photographs showing Croatian tanks running over the bodies of women and
children. Robert Fox reported in the Daily Telegraph on May 7th, that:
‘While there were no bodies, in Nova Varos, the whiff of decay was
unmistakable despite hasty attempts to expunge it with disinfectant.’

A document released by Helsinki Watch, corroborates that 1,100 wounded
Serb soldiers were murdered by the Croats. There were no injured
Serbians in Croatian hospitals. Helsinki Watch discovered the mass
grave of these 1,100 Serbian soldiers and believe that the mass grave
contains the bodies of the 450 victims that the Croats admit to
killing. At a time when the Croats were telling the international
press that Serbs were being treated in a humane manner, it appears that
they were in the process of cleansing more than 10,000 Serbs from the
Slavonia region, destroying more than 150 Serbian villages in their
wake.
This posting unfortunately could go on and on endlessly until all 96
Serbian churches destroyed in Croatia in 1991 are cited. These churches
were destroyed before a single person lost their lives in Bosnia, yet no
one lifted a single voice to support the Serbs. When the war started in
Bosnia the cultural genocide continued until more than 120 more Serbian
churches were destroyed. Not a single newspaper in the west reported on
the destruction of these Christian houses of worship!

The one thing that is quite apparent in reading this document, there was
a repetitive nature of this cultural genocide against the Serbs. Serbs
have rebuilt some of these churches three times in the last century only
to see them destroyed yet again.

There are those who post on this net who insist that this war is about
aggression, an arrogant term meant to demonize the Serbs who were also
born on the soil that they defend. There are those who insist that this
war is about the political rights to self determination, but the simple
fact that Serbs are denied the same right makes this argument spurious.
But the real foundation of this war was and is about religious
domination and forced conversion, by destroying churches and mosques, if
necessary. The Serbs know about this kind of religious intolerance,
they know, too, about forced conversion, or conversion obtained through
special political favors, they suffered under 500 years of that kind of
oppression. Serbs also remember the term ‘convert or die’ and many did.

I am saddened that democratic ideas were promoted by the west while all
three sides in this war resorted to cultural genocide to achieve it.
Aspiring to freedom and pluralism by building a foundation erected on
the ashes of churches and mosques is a foundation built on sand. Like
the lack of justice 50 years ago in Yugoslavia, the current sands of
morality will be washed away until the next generation acquires a
sufficient amount of intolerance to justify killing their neighbors,
too!