Italy pays homage to the three journalists killed in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Thirty years after the death in Bosnia and Herzegovina, in the city of Mostar, of Marco Luchetta, Alessandro Saša Ota and Dario D'Angelo - three journalists from the Friuli Venezia Giulia branch of the Italian public broadcasting company RAI - killed by a mortar shell on 28 January 1994 while they were filming a report on children victims of the war, Italy remembers them with a special report produced by the same news channel they worked for. The Rai Est Ovest special, entitled Mostar 1994-2024 and aired on 28 January, recounts the stages of the conflict in the Balkans and recalls Italy's commitment to providing support to the city of Mostar itself and to Bosnia and Herzegovina in general.

Interviewed during the service, the Ambassador of Italy in Sarajevo, Marco Di Ruzza, said that Italy's support is provided through "an open and inclusive diplomacy that dialogues with all the actors in the country, where ethno-religious balances are extremely complex. Italy's support is also provided through its growing presence in the EUFOR stabilisation mission and, above all, by making use of two great strengths: cultural diplomacy and civil society". In fact, "civil society organisations have never stopped working in Bosnia and Herzegovina; they often operate to implement Italian Development Cooperation projects, a fundamental activity that starts from the bottom, connecting people and communities. Above all, these organisations speak to young people to build a more open and multicultural society, projected towards a European future and far from the ethnic hatred that has plunged the territory into bloodshed" pointed out the Ambassador.

The report shows a still suffering and only partially rebuilt Mostar. However, the city can count on funding from the international community and in particular from Italy, which has invested heavily in its reconstruction (the first donor to the rebuilding of the Old Bridge). In memory of the three journalists killed in Mostar, a Foundation carrying their names was established - whose name was later changed to include Milan Hrovatin, the RAI cameraman killed in Somalia together with Ilaria Alpi - to provide care and treatment for children with rare diseases.

Ambassador Di Ruzza paid tribute to the three men in a touching event, which was attended by the Mayor of Mostar Mario Kordic and a large audience, including a delegation from Italy, with relatives of the victims, civil society organisations and the media.