A dark chapter of post-war history in western Serbia has resurfaced following the discovery of a mass grave in the Cerova pit, on the hill above the village of Mušvete on Zlatibor. Deep below the surface, the skeletal remains of victims from the end of World War II were uncovered, with the horrifying detail that their hands had been tied with wire before execution.
The pit was discovered by fresco painter and speleologist Dimitrije Mirko Ćelić from Prigrevice near Apatin, who, along with colleagues from the Belgrade speleology club “Asak,” descended into a previously unexplored cave, guided by local oral history about mass graves in the area.
At a depth of around 15 meters, in a spacious underground chamber, multiple skeletons were found. Beneath the entrance of the pit, a large pile of stones was discovered, suspected to conceal additional human remains yet to be uncovered.
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Alongside the bones, traditional footwear (opanci), shoes (cokule), belts, snuff boxes, mirrors, and other personal items of the victims were found. Military insignia were nearly absent, except for a single badge from the Kingdom of Yugoslavia Scouts Association, deepening the mystery surrounding the identities of the victims. The discovery has been reported to the competent prosecutor’s office in Užice to ensure further investigations are conducted according to the law.
Officials in the Municipality of Čajetina reacted swiftly, pledging full support for the investigation of the pit where the post-war victims were found. Milan Stamatović, President of the Municipality of Čajetina, stated that the local government would not turn a blind eye to this atrocity.
“Our plan is to eventually develop the Mušvete cave as an extraordinary tourist site, but only after the fate of the victims is clarified and a monument worthy of them is erected. We hope to locate descendants of the victims and provide them with a dignified burial according to Orthodox rites,” Stamatović emphasized.
Testimonies from the oldest residents of Zlatibor recount that, at the end of the war, returning individuals were promised freedom and safety if they surrendered. Instead of returning home, many were taken to Čajetina and executed.
According to available literature and oral accounts, between 200 and 300 young men, mostly Chetniks aged 16 to 20, who were returning from Bosnia to their homes in Kosjerić, Valjevo, and other villages in western and southwestern Serbia, were executed without trial in this region.
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Source: RINA, Ilustracija: RINA