Veterans' Affairs Minister Tomo Medved on Tuesday warned about the issue of persons unaccounted-for since the Homeland War and criticized Serbia for failing to provide information on the missing.

“We informed the parliamentary committee of all our activities, achievements, challenges and difficulties we are faced with. The fundamental condition for efficiency is the Law on Missing Persons from the Homeland War which was adopted in 2019 and locating the latest mass grave site near Bobota has shown results,” Medved told reporters after a meeting of the parliamentary War Veterans Committee.

He added that since 2016 to date, the remains of 144 war victims have been located and exhumed while and 197 victims whose corpses have been exhumed have been identified.

He recalled that a few days ago a large mass grave was found in Bobota near Vukovar with the remains of at least 11 people. We will continue to inform the committee of any further developments, he said.

At least 11 victims in Bobota mass graves, DNA analysis to be made

In reference to the mass grave unearthed in Bobota, Medved said that he could say with certainty that the remains of at least 11 people were found, adding that there could be more.

We need to wait for DNA analyses and I believe that we will be able to identify those people very quickly and call their families to take over the remains of their loved ones, he added.

He could not confirm whether the remains found were civilians and repeated that it was necessary to wait for the DNA results.

In addition to the activities by the Veterans’ Affairs Ministry on the mass grave in Bobota, the Interior Ministry and State Attorney’s Office (DORH) are implementing procedures in this regard, which is obviously a war crime, he underscored.

Medved said that there were two more locations in Vukovar-Srijem County being prepared for test excavations. He added that to date, 99 locations had been investigated in that eastern county.

“I once again appeal to anyone who in public or personally have come to certain information, to share it with the relevant bodies. They are obliged by law to submit any information they have,” said Medved, and he ensured the confidentiality of the source’s identity who provided information on the missing from the Homeland War.