Former inmates of the Bosnian Serb-run Trnopolje prison camp, near the northwestern town of Prijedor, gathered on Tuesday to mark the 28th anniversary of the camp being set up and to pay their respects the many people who were killed there.

Camp Trnopolje was set up by local authorities in Prijedor in May 1992 and was closed in the winter of that year.   According to the former prison camp inmate association ‘Prijedor 92’, more than 30,000 non-Serbs were taken to the camp and according to the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, women and children were taken to the camp as well.  

Among the former inmates was Avdo Filipovic from Kamican. He was imprisoned at Trnopolje together with his son and wife. He lost his other son in the war.

“I worked in Croatia. I came to Kozarac at the beginning of May and after the attack on our town we hid in the woods until we were taken to Trnopolje. All kinds of things happened there – all kinds of harassment and painful situations,” he said.  

“The memories are painful. But every year we come here to remember all those who died then and all those difficult days,” he added.  

The gathering was organised by the Regional Association of former Prison Camp Inmates of the Banja Luka Region, as well as prison camp inmate associations from Kozarac and Prijedor.  

The head of the Banja Luka association, Mirsad Duratovic, explained that the gathering was much smaller this year as the associations did not invite a lot of people due to the coronavirus situation.  

“Few people came, we laid wreaths and prayed for all the victims of this prison camp,” he said.  

Duratovic confirmed that, for the first time in the past 28 years, the President of the Assembly of the City of Prijedor laid wreaths as well.  

“Of course, that does not mean that previous (assembly) presidents did not attend the gatherings,” he said, but added he his optimistic and hopes that a memorial will be set up in the former prison camp.  

The world found out about Trnopolje in August 1992 thanks to British reporters. The photos they took there shook the world.  

On August 21 that year, about 200 inmates were taken from Trnopolje and were killed at the Koricani cliffs, on mount Vlasic.