The commemoration will be held on August 10 at the "Shattered Landscape" memorial on Čukur hill above Hrvatska Kostajnica, with the Government's patronage further underscoring the national significance of Lederer's sacrifice and the role of war cameramen in the Homeland War.
The observance of the 35th anniversary of the death of Croatian war cameraman Gordan Lederer will this year carry the institutional weight it deserves; the Croatian Government has accepted patronage over the commemoration to be held on August 10, 2026 at the memorial "Shattered Landscape" on the hill Čukur above Hrvatska Kostajnica, reports HRT.
At the proposal of the City of Hrvatska Kostajnica, the Government decided to support the anniversary in order to further highlight the role war cameramen played in conveying the truth about Serbian aggression during the 1990s. The decision's explanation states that the observance represents "an expression of lasting reverence for Gordan Lederer, who through his professional and personal contribution left an indelible mark on modern Croatian history," as reported by Prigorski.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Croatian Veterans Tomo Medved stressed that Croatia, through this anniversary, expresses lasting gratitude for Lederer's exceptional contribution. "By marking the 35th anniversary of the death of war cameraman Gordan Lederer, we express lasting reverence and gratitude for his exceptional contribution," Medved said, as reported by HRT News. The Government emphasized that Lederer's sacrifice symbolizes commitment to truth, media freedom, and the defense of the Republic of Croatia during the Homeland War.
Gordan Lederer was killed on August 10, 1991 at the age of 33, while on Čukur hill filming Croatian defenders in action during Serbian attacks on the Pounje region. A bullet from an enemy sniper struck him. He left behind numerous recordings from the first days of the war, later edited into the documentary film "Banijska ratna praskozorja" (War Dawns of Banija), Stijena.info recalls. These materials became a lasting testament to the price of professional reporting from the front lines and one of the most powerful testimonies of journalists' suffering in war.
The central place of remembrance for Lederer is the memorial "Shattered Landscape", erected at the site of his death. The memorial is the work of sculptor Petar Barišić and the architectural studio NFO, i.e., architects Kata Marunica and Nenad Ravnić. It is designed as a giant photographic lens with a cracked lens pierced by a sniper's bullet, symbolizing Lederer's very death and the interrupted gaze of a man who went to the front line armed only with a camera.
Government patronage, sources point out, will further emphasize the national significance of the anniversary and ensure a dignified commemoration programme, bringing together at Čukur all those who wish to pay tribute to a cameraman whose work left an indelible mark on collective memory. Thirty-five years after the tragic event, the anniversary will not be merely a remembrance of one death, but also a reminder of the value of free reporting and of the debt owed to those who conveyed the truth directly from the battlefield.
