In September 2004, Himzo Muratovic returned from the dead. Himzo turned up in a taxi in his Bosnian Muslim village, 12 years after he disappeared at the height of the Serb terror. His mother fell unconscious when neighbors told her that ...See moreIn September 2004, Himzo Muratovic returned from the dead. Himzo turned up in a taxi in his Bosnian Muslim village, 12 years after he disappeared at the height of the Serb terror. His mother fell unconscious when neighbors told her that her missing son had returned. For several days the village celebrated the return of the long-dead Himzo Muratovic. Himzo's village of Motovo was burned to the ground in 1992 by Serb paramilitaries. Thousands of people in the area were declared missing. Human remains are still being unearthed from mass graves all over the country. Just before the killers entered his village, our hero disappeared through the woods. He was never heard of again. When the village erected a monument to the victims killed in the war, they included Himzo's name on the list. His grieving brother named his first-born son Himzo, so that the war-victim's name would not be forgotten. Then all of the sudden - Himzo returns alive and healthy. His name was erased from the monument. After the initial rejoicing, people from the village started asking questions. Where had he been? How did he survive? Was he captured and tortured? And the most urgent question of all: why won't he talk about it? Written by
Sinisa Juricic
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