12/07/1995 | Page 13 of 14 | Voices from the Drina

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🧵 I’ve survived something. I don’t know what it was, but it happened to me. My baby, Irma, was crying. She has a fever and is sweating heavily. I haven’t been able to calm her down this journey.

The soldier told me to calm the baby, cursing God. I said nothing. He repeated and I just lifted my head and then he said: “You dare to look at me and you didn’t calm the baby down? I will slaughter both of you here and now.” I replied, “Do it. I don’t care.”

All the while, the other soldier standing behind me was constantly asking for money/gold. Was it the survival instinct or the maternal instinct, I don’t know, but as the young soldier who’d threatened me was walking towards me it occurred to me that I had some money in my pocket.

I put my hand in the pocket, took the money out and gave it to the soldier standing behind me. At that moment the one approaching me was already near, but the one I gave the money to stopped him and told him to let me go. Both of the soldiers got off. No one changed any tyres.

The bus is driving past the agricultural cooperative building. On our right our men and boys are sitting on the ground, held captive by Serb soldiers. There are dead bodies on the road and in the ditch.

I’ve just looked out the window to see where our men are being taken after selection. Serb soldiers are ordering them to remove all their clothes except underwear. The clothes and backpacks are being dumped behind a house. Then they’re being taken inside the distribution point.

Serb forces have dragged my son, Sadmir, away from me, as we were boarding the bus to be deported out of Potočari. They’ve taken my son. Sine, voli te Mama.

🧵Serb forces have dragged my husband away from me as we were boarding the bus to be deported out of Potočari.

I grabbed Semso’s arm as they took him, but the soldier pulled us apart. I managed to grab my husband around his back with both of my hands, but the soldier hit me with his rifle butt on my back.

I fell unconscious. While I was lying there, someone dragged me to a truck that we women and children were supposed to get into. My Semso is gone.