A memorial service and commemorative program honoring Serbian victims and displaced people from the wars of the 1990s will be held on Sunday, August 2, 2026, at St. John the Baptist Serbian Orthodox Church in Bellwood.
This year’s event, organized by the Krajina Serb Association “Prelo,” will mark the 35th anniversary of the displacement of Serbs from Croatian cities and large parts of Western Slavonia. The memorial service will follow the Sunday Divine Liturgy, while the commemorative program in the church hall is scheduled to begin at noon.
The organizers say the Chicago event is held each year in early August to remember those killed and displaced during the conflicts in Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina in the 1990s, including the military operations of 1995. 
Program Focuses on the Displacement of Serbs from Croatian Cities
According to the information provided by the Prelo Association, this year’s commemorative program will focus in particular on events that began in 1991. The organizers say Serbs living in Croatian cities faced dismissals from their jobs, intimidation, threats, abductions, and killings.
The association says many Serbian families were forced to leave their apartments and homes, while civilians were killed outside areas of direct combat. The announcement cites the Zec family in Zagreb, the Roknić and Stojaković families in Karlovac, the Radosavljević family in Daruvar, the Kalanj family in Gospić, and the Ostojić family in Vinkovci.
The organizers also point to the deaths of Serbs in Osijek, Sisak, Gospić, Zagreb, Šibenik, Zadar, Split, Bjelovar, Županja, and other cities.
Claims Concerning the Number of Displaced and Killed
The announcement refers to a 1993 report by former United Nations Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali, which it says recorded the displacement of 251,000 Serbs from territory under Croatian control.
The organizers state that 690 Serbs, including 87 children, were killed outside areas of direct military operations. They also say approximately 50,000 apartments were permanently taken from Serbian residents, while thousands of houses and apartments were destroyed or damaged by explosives.
According to the association, many crimes committed against Serbian civilians have not been fully prosecuted, and not all members of police, military, and paramilitary formations accused of responsibility have faced trial or punishment.
Remembering the 1995 Exodus
The commemoration will also remember Serbs displaced during the Croatian military operations known as “Flash” and “Storm” in May and August 1995, as well as Croatian-Muslim operations against western Krajina municipalities in September of that year.
The organizers say these operations resulted in the mass exodus of the Serbian population from Dalmatia, Lika, Kordun, Banija, Western Slavonia, and municipalities in western Krajina.
Representatives of the Serbian Orthodox Church and Serbian organizations in the United States are expected to address the gathering.
Documentaries, Photographs and Survivor Testimonies
The program will include documentary films and an exhibition of photographs and documents. Survivors are also expected to speak about displacement, the loss of their homes, and the exodus of the Serbian population.
The Krajina Serb Association “Prelo” has invited members of the Serbian community in Chicago and the surrounding area to attend the memorial service and commemorative program and honor those who died.
Text: S. Dančuo Photo: S. Dančuo Facebook,
