Commemoration for the victims of the "Niš Ekspres" (16 February, every year): Memorial in Niš, 2,000-5,000 people, "We will never forget"

Memorial to the victims of the "Niš Ekspres" (Niš, 2004)

16 February 2004 - The memorial to the victims of the "Niš Ekspres" was unveiled in central Niš (King Milan Square) - exactly 5 years after the attack (16 February 1999). The memorial was designed by the sculptor Miodrag Živković - black granite with the names of the 12 victims.

The unveiling ceremony (16 February 2004) was attended by more than 10,000 people - families of the victims, survivors from the bus, citizens of Niš, officials (the mayor of Niš, ministers of Serbia). The President of Serbia (Vojislav Koštunica) sent a telegram: "We will never forget the 12 Serbs who were killed by Albanian terrorists. Justice will come."

Inscription on the memorial: "In memory of the 12 Serbs killed in the terrorist attack on the 'Niš Ekspres' bus, 16 February 1999. We will never forget."

Every year (16 February), the citizens of Niš come to lay flowers at the memorial - a tradition that has lasted for 21 years now (from 2004 to 2025).

Every year (16 February) - Commemoration in Niš

Every year, 16 February, 17:15 - Commemoration for the victims of the attack on the "Niš Ekspres" in central Niš (King Milan Square). The citizens of Niš (2,000-5,000 people) come to lay flowers at the memorial.

Commemoration programme:

• 17:00 - Citizens gather in front of the memorial
• 17:10 - Speech by the mayor of Niš (remembrance of the victims, a call for justice)
• 17:15 - Minute of silence (the exact time when the bus was attacked in 1999) - everyone stands in silence
• 17:16 - Reading of the names of the 12 victims (a representative of the families)
• 17:20 - Laying of flowers (the families of the victims first, then the citizens)
• 17:30 - Lighting of candles (at the memorial)
• 17:40 - Prayer (a priest of the Serbian Orthodox Church)
• 18:00 - End of the commemoration

The most emotional part of the commemoration is the reading of the names of the 12 victims (17:16). A representative of the families (usually a mother or a widow) reads the names one by one - slowly, loudly, clearly. Each name - a 5-second pause. This lasts 2-3 minutes. During the reading, everyone stands in silence - many weep.

Testimonies of the victims' families

"Every year, on 16 February, I come here (the memorial in Niš) to lay flowers for my son Đorđe (8 years old). For 26 years now. Every year, I read his name on the memorial - and I cry. He was only 8 years old. He should have grown up. But the terrorists took that from him. And they were never punished. That is an injustice."

"Every year I come to the commemoration - to remember my husband Slobodan (52 years old). He died in my arms - on the bus, 16 February 1999. I saw him take his last breath. That is the worst experience of my life. And every year, when I come to the memorial, I remember that moment - and I cry. But I have to come - because if I do not come, who will remember him?"

"I survived the attack - but I have scars (shrapnel in my arms). Every year I come to the commemoration - to remember those who did not survive. 12 people died beside me. I saw them die. And every year, when I read their names on the memorial, I remember their faces. I will never forget."

16 February 2024 - 25th anniversary of the attack

16 February 2024 - the 25th anniversary of the attack on the "Niš Ekspres". The commemoration in Niš was the largest so far - more than 5,000 people came to lay flowers (usually 2,000-3,000, but the 25th anniversary drew more people).

The President of Serbia (Aleksandar Vučić) attended the commemoration (for the first time since 2019). Vučić delivered a speech in front of the memorial:

"We will never forget the 12 Serbs who were killed on 16 February 1999. We will never forget the terrorists who got away. We will never forget the West that protected them. 25 years have passed - and still no one has been arrested. That is an injustice. But justice will come - one day. Serbia will never forget its victims. Never."

After the speech, Vučić laid a wreath at the memorial - then the families of the victims laid flowers (one by one). The ceremony lasted 90 minutes (longer than usual - because there were more people).

A new generation - Children learn about the "Niš Ekspres"

In the schools of Niš, children learn about the attack on the "Niš Ekspres" - it is part of the curriculum (history/civic education). Every year, before 16 February, teachers tell the children about the attack - they show photographs, read the testimonies of survivors.

16 February - Many schools in Niš take the children to the memorial (King Milan Square) to lay flowers. The children (7-18 years old) come with their teachers - they lay flowers and listen to stories about the victims.

One pupil (Milica, 12 years old) said (2024): "I was not born in 1999. But I know about the 'Niš Ekspres' - our teacher told us. 12 Serbs killed - including an 8-year-old boy (Đorđe Nikolić). That is sad. And the terrorists were never arrested. That is an injustice. We must remember the victims - so that we do not forget."

A new generation of Serbs is learning about the "Niš Ekspres" - and that is important, because if the new generation forgets, then the victims died in vain. Remembrance is a duty.

Message: "We will never forget"

"We will never forget" - that is the central message of the commemoration (every year, 16 February). Regardless of the fact that 26 years have passed (from 1999 to 2025), regardless of the fact that the terrorists were never arrested, regardless of the fact that the West ignores it - Serbia will not forget.

Every name. Every story. Every tear. All of that is part of Serbian remembrance - and that remembrance is passed on through the generations.

12 Serbs killed on 16 February 1999:

• Slobodan Marković (52)
• Milica Ilić (68)
• Petar Jovanović (34)
• Dragana Petrović (41)
• Miloš Đorđević (29)
• Jelena Stanković (37)
• Đorđe Nikolić (8) - the youngest victim
• Radovan Pavlović (56)
• Mirjana Kostić (44)
• Dragan Milošević (39)
• Svetlana Đukić (33)
• Branko Todorović (47)

We will never forget.