Zvornik massacre
Encyclopedia
The Zvornik massacre refers to the killing of 700-900 Bosniaks as well as ethnic cleansing
of 40,000 in Zvornik
. Serbian paramilitary groups - "Arkanovci", Territorial Defence units (TO), White Eagles
, Yellow Wasps
and others - carried out the acts in Zvornik
from 1992 until 1995, during the Bosnian war
. It was the second Bosnian city that was forcefully taken over by the Serb forces.
The Research and Documentation Center in Sarajevo
established a list of 4,127 missed or killed persons in the Zvornik area, which makes it the fifth largest event in the war by death toll, after the Siege of Sarajevo
, the Srebrenica massacre
, the Siege of Bihać
and the Prijedor massacre
.
Being a border town situated at the Bosnian-Serb Drina river, Zvornik has a strategically important position. It is significant because Bosnia and Herzegovina
and Serbia
are linked at that point not only through a road bridge between the Zvornik urban area and the Karakaj industrial zone, and another one in Zvornik itself, but also via a railroad bridge between Karakaj and the town of Čelopek. It represents an important link along the Belgrade
-Sarajevo line, as well as within the Belgrade-Tuzla
line.
Officially, there was no garrison of the former JNA in the Zvornik district. The Zvornik region itself was controlled by the 17th Corps Tuzla. Up to the fall of 1991, the 17th Corps consisted of 3 brigades and one partisan brigade, and was part of the First Military District of Belgrade.
After the re-organization of the JNA in the spring of 1992, it formally fell under the command of the Second Military District of Sarajevo, but most likely continued to be led by the First Military District of Belgrade.
By the turn of the year 1991/1992, preliminary tank units (apparently from the abandoned Jastrebarsko
garrison in Croatia
) were stationed near Zvornik. By February or March 1992 (at the time of the referendum on independence), additional units of the former JNA-tank units and artillery and anti-aircraft positions were stationed in the Zvornik region. Initially, the tanks still carried the JNA emblems. It was only later that they were replaced by the Serbian flag and the coat-of-arms emblem. But, the troops themselves, officers and soldiers, had Serbian badges (showing a Serbian flag on the front part of the beret and on the upper arm).
On the Serbian side of the Drina river bank, various tank positions could be identified as well. Additional forces, including artillery
, anti-aircraft weaponry, and tank
s were being positioned there.
According to witness accounts, former JNA troops from the following garrisons were involved during the attack:
The planes and helicopters which participated in the aggression are also reported to have come from Tuzla. Prior to the attack, units from Novi Sad
, Šabac
, Sremska Mitrovica
and Valjevo
(Serbia) were partly stationed along the Serbian side of the Drina river bank, and partly on the Bosnian side. They further participated in the attack on Zvornik, operating from Serbian territory. One unit from Šabac purportedly was housed in the «Dom Kulture» in Mali Zvornik. It was further claimed that there was a «small barracks» also in Radalj north of Mali Zvornik. There were indications that a «special unit» from Niš might have been involved in the attack on Zvornik and later on Kulagrad.
They were equipped with machine-guns M 52, M 65, M 66, M 70A, M 70B, M 72; hand grenade launchers Zolja; kalashnikov
s; knives, MIG 21 and MIG 29, Jastreb with machine-guns and gunners, Gallop, «Eagles» (aerial photographs); helicopters MT 6 or MT 8 and others.
Regarding the infantry units, they were not only composed of the «regular members» of the former JNA and of mobilized reserve forces, but also of «volunteers». Several of the individuals interviewed said that they had noted that prior to the attack, (i.e., in March 1992), and throughout the attack, the soldiers--and, some claimed, officers as well--no longer wore the badges of the former JNA. Instead, they had Serbian badges and cockades. However, at that time, the vehicles and machinery still had the old Yugoslav identity symbols. Moreover, many soldiers wearing «old JNA uniforms», used a «white band» on the upper arm as additional identifying marks. This identification only made sense if somebody wanted to distinguish himself from the uniformly dressed soldiers.
units. Immediately after the fall of Kulagrad, the town of Divić, situated south of Zvornik, was attacked. Divić was almost exclusively populated by Bosniaks and was situated at the hydro-electric power plant.
The attack on the town was conducted both from the Serbian side and from Bosnian territory, using tank forces, artillery, and infantry units with portable mortar
s. JNA units and paramilitary units cooperated. Arkanovci operated in front-line positions, taking the city. Their core troops left the city after the successful attack to prepare a raid on the next city, Bratunac
.
The attack began on the morning of 8 April, with mortar fire on the Bukovik
and Meterize city districts, as well as on the Muslim-held defence positions on the Debelo Brdo hill. It came from the artillery positions in Karakaj, from the Bosnian side before Meterize, and from the Serbian side of the River Drina (Mali Zvornik
). First shots were fired in the Meterize suburb. This attack was mainly carried out by the heavy equipment of the JNA (artillery and tanks). There are also reports of Arkanovci snipers firing from Mali Zvornik on the opposite river bank, and of snipers aiming at residents from positions on highrise buildings in Zvornik itself. The Muslim position on Debelo Brdo, however, fell on that same day and was occupied.
During the night there was heavy shelling of the town. The capture of the city did not begin until the following day, 9 April. In the morning, there were again negotiations with Arkan, which ended in an ultimatum for the surrender of weapons and the town by 8:00 a.m. At 8:00 a.m. artillery fire started again, followed by the capture of the town by the infantry. The Arkanovci assumed a leading role in the take-over of the city, proceeding from the north via the Bukovik and Meterize city districts heading for the city centre. In addition, infantry units of the JNA in cooperation with «Serb volunteers» (Seseljovci, Beli Orlovi, «TO») also took part in the seizure of the city. They approached the city primarily from the west, in a «second wave». It was reported that on the very first day, as well as during the subsequent weeks, there were random executions, rapes, and massacre
s. In these, the units of the Seseljovci, Beli Orlovi and the so-called «territorial defence» were also involved. On 10 and 11 April, Zvornik was captured. The Kulagrad fortress north of Zvornik and the town of Divić bordering Zvornik to the South had not yet been occupied.
On 9 April, artillery attacks on Kulagrad started as the attacking units were expecting major Muslim resistance forces. Even before the attack, Serbian media reported that «several thousand Muslim extremists» were hiding in Kulagrad. In fact, there were probably no more than a few dozen armed Muslims under the command of a former JNA officer who spontaneously organized a resistance movement with light equipment (small arms).
From 11 April onward, there were almost daily attempts by small combat groups from various paramilitary units to capture the fortress. These attempts failed, however, despite the fact that Kulagrad was constantly under fire from mortars, anti- aircraft guns and tanks. The reason for this failure might be due to the apparent lack of coordination of the attacks, as well as deficiencies in the training of the infantry units involved. These settlements were captured by May.
Immediately after the occupation of the town, a night curfew
was imposed which remained in force until the «ethnic cleansing
» was completed. During the day, men were allowed to move around only with a permit issued by the Serbian police at Zvornik. Many of the men who went to Karakaj (or later to the police office in Zvornik) in order to apply for a «permit» were suddenly deported into one of the camps in the industrial district of Karakaj
. While at the camp, they were subjected to severe torture and murder, in particular by members of the paramilitary troops whose quarters were partly in the same buildings as those in which the prisoners were detained. Many of the men, therefore, did not dare to pick up their passes themselves, but remained in hiding in houses. However, even persons with a pass were not safe from random aggressions by the numerous paramilitary units in town. It was reported by some witnesses that immediately upon leaving the police station, they had their passes taken away or torn into pieces by members of a paramilitary group. Some of them were attacked and deported into camps.
From the onset of the occupation, Bosniaks were prohibited from working, except for persons deemed indispensable (e.g. hospital
personnel, who were not released until the end of May). Everyday life was dominated by the fact that maraudering paramilitary troops, who were not controlled by any authority, terrorized the Muslim population of Zvornik.
of the Bosniak population by means of terror, the next step was to prepare the total expulsion of the inhabitants with the support of administrative measures. The first step had already been the appeal to return. The registration of property that was mandatory for all inhabitants, including the Serbian population, served above all the purpose of registering the male Bosniak population. For this reason, only men were eligible for registration, which had to be completed before the «Serbian municipality» or the «Serbian militia», even if a property was originally registered under the wife's name. As a result, these registrations led to arrests and deportations to camps, apparently on the basis of pre-established lists.
An «agency for the exchange of houses» was set up, to which the Bosniak inhabitants were to transfer their houses. In return, the Bosniaks were promised houses belonging to Bosnian Serbs (e.g. in the Tuzla region) who supposedly had also assigned their homes to the agency. In order to make this «offer to exchange houses
» more attractive looking, Serbian radio stations transmitted broadcasts about the successful exchange of houses by prominent Muslim inhabitants. These exchanges were, in many cases, found out to be falsified, incorrect, or conducted under coercion.
Departure from the town was only possible on the condition that the property was renounced and transferred to the «Serbian District of Zvornik». This forced transfer of property was executed by the "Serbian District of Zvornik" in cooperation with the police and paramilitary units, especially the Draganovci. Eventually, the Muslims were glad to sign the deed in order to get away from the terror.
Documents that had to be shown upon leaving the town included:
was charged by the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia
for crimes after the capture of Zvornik. Biljana Plavšić
was sentenced to 11 and Momčilo Krajišnik
to 27 years by the Tribunal, among others for their crimes in the city.
Vojin Vučković, commander of the Yellow Wasps
, and his brother Duško were convicted in 1996 for killing of 17 civilians in Čelopek
, a suburb of the town of Zvornik, during the ethnic cleansing of the Bosniak population of the Drina valley in 1992.
On 28 November 2005, the War Crimes Chamber in Belgrade began the trial of the "Zvornik Group" (Branko Grujić, Branko Popović, Dragan Slavković, Ivan Korać, Siniša Filipović, Dragutin Dragićević and Duško Vučković). They were accused of murdering at least 22 and forcefully deporting 1822 Bosniaks.
On 4 January 2010, Darko Janković was arrested in suspicion of killing at least 19 Bosniaks in Čelopek.
In June 2010, the Belgrade court brought a verdict and sentenced three people for war crimes in Zvornik. Dragan Slavković was sentenced to 12 years, Ivan Korać to 9 years and Siniša Filipović to three years in prison. The fourth suspect, Dragutin Dragičević, was freed of all charges. The three convicts were said to have tortured and killed at least 19 out of 162 illegally captured Bosniak civilians from Divič in the "Dom kulture" in Čalopek.
During the trial, witness B-24, a police officer
and member of the Crisis staff in Zvornik, described how in April 1992 a person working in Zvornik under the pseudonym "Marko Pavlovic" made a phone call to JNA officers and within 24 to 48 hours, weapons and ammunition
shipments would arrive for the "defense" of Zvornik. The ICTY brought the following verdict on Zvornik:
On 1 October 2010, at the trial of Mićo Stanišić and Stojan Župljanin, which are accused of committing crimes between April 1 and December 31, 1992, in 20 municipalities throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina including Zvornik, a former member of the Serbian Democratic Party
(SDS) testified that senior Bosnian Serb officials were informed of the atrocities that were being committed in Zvornik.
On 22 November 2010, Branko Grujić, a municipal official, and Branko Popović, a former territorial defense commander, were sentenced to 6 and 15 years respectively for their role in the "Zvornik group" that "imprisoned, inhumanely treated and killed around 700 people" in Zvornik from May to July 1992. The verdict determined that more than 1,600 civilians were forced to leave the Zvornik area. The bodies of 352 victims have been found and identified since the war. The War Crimes Prosecutor's Office said it would appeal the verdicts, stating that the sentences were "inadequate considering the responsibility of the accused, with regard to the number of victims, the mass and brutal character of the crimes."
Ethnic cleansing
Ethnic cleansing is a purposeful policy designed by one ethnic or religious group to remove by violent and terror-inspiring means the civilian population of another ethnic orreligious group from certain geographic areas....
of 40,000 in Zvornik
Zvornik
Zvornik is a city on the Drina river in northeastern Bosnia and Herzegovina, located south of the town of Bijeljina in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The town Mali Zvornik lies directly across the river in Serbia, and not far north is Loznica.-History:Zvornik is first mentioned in 1410, although it was...
. Serbian paramilitary groups - "Arkanovci", Territorial Defence units (TO), White Eagles
White Eagles (paramilitary)
The White Eagles , also known as the Avengers , were a Serbian paramilitary group associated with the Serbian National Renewal and the Serbian Radical Party...
, Yellow Wasps
Yellow Wasps
The Yellow Wasps were a Serbian paramilitary group which was active in the Bosnian War. Its leader was Vojin Vučković Žućo. The group was active in the Zvornik region...
and others - carried out the acts in Zvornik
Zvornik
Zvornik is a city on the Drina river in northeastern Bosnia and Herzegovina, located south of the town of Bijeljina in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The town Mali Zvornik lies directly across the river in Serbia, and not far north is Loznica.-History:Zvornik is first mentioned in 1410, although it was...
from 1992 until 1995, during the Bosnian war
Bosnian War
The Bosnian War or the War in Bosnia and Herzegovina was an international armed conflict that took place in Bosnia and Herzegovina between April 1992 and December 1995. The war involved several sides...
. It was the second Bosnian city that was forcefully taken over by the Serb forces.
The Research and Documentation Center in Sarajevo
Research and Documentation Center in Sarajevo
The Research and Documentation Center is an institution based in Sarajevo, which aims to gather facts, documents and data on genocide, war crimes and human rights violations, in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It describes itself as an independent, non-governmental, non-profit, professional and...
established a list of 4,127 missed or killed persons in the Zvornik area, which makes it the fifth largest event in the war by death toll, after the Siege of Sarajevo
Siege of Sarajevo
The Siege of Sarajevo is the longest siege of a capital city in the history of modern warfare. Serb forces of the Republika Srpska and the Yugoslav People's Army besieged Sarajevo, the capital city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, from 5 April 1992 to 29 February 1996 during the Bosnian War.After Bosnia...
, the Srebrenica massacre
Srebrenica massacre
The Srebrenica massacre, also known as the Srebrenica genocide, refers to the July 1995 killing, during the Bosnian War, of more than 8,000 Bosniaks , mainly men and boys, in and around the town of Srebrenica in Bosnia and Herzegovina, by units of the Army of Republika Srpska under the command of...
, the Siege of Bihać
Siege of Bihać
The Bihać area was the scene of fierce fighting during the Bosnian War. It involved the Bosnian government army in Bihać on one side and Serb forces on the other side, who surrounded the area in a double siege – from the Army of the Republic of Serbian Krajina on the north-west to the Army of...
and the Prijedor massacre
Prijedor massacre
The Prijedor massacre, also known as the Prijedor ethnic cleansing or the Prijedor genocide, refers to numerous war crimes committed during the Bosnian war by the Serb political and military leadership mostly on Bosniak civilians in the Prijedor region of Bosnia-Herzegovina...
.
Background
According to the 1991 census data, the district of Zvornik had a population of 81,111: 48,208 (59.4 %) of which were Bosniaks (Bosnian Muslims) and 30,839 (38 %) were of Serbian nationality. A total of 14,600 people lived in the city of Zvornik, 8,942 (61.0 %) of them were Bosniaks, 4,281 (29.2 %) of the Serbian nationality, 74 (0.5 %) of Croatian nationality, and 1,363 (9.3 per cent) were defined as "others".Being a border town situated at the Bosnian-Serb Drina river, Zvornik has a strategically important position. It is significant because Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...
and Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
are linked at that point not only through a road bridge between the Zvornik urban area and the Karakaj industrial zone, and another one in Zvornik itself, but also via a railroad bridge between Karakaj and the town of Čelopek. It represents an important link along the Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
-Sarajevo line, as well as within the Belgrade-Tuzla
Tuzla
Tuzla is a city and municipality in Bosnia and Herzegovina. At the time of the 1991 census, it had 83,770 inhabitants, while the municipality 131,318. Taking the influx of refugees into account, the city is currently estimated to have 174,558 inhabitants...
line.
Officially, there was no garrison of the former JNA in the Zvornik district. The Zvornik region itself was controlled by the 17th Corps Tuzla. Up to the fall of 1991, the 17th Corps consisted of 3 brigades and one partisan brigade, and was part of the First Military District of Belgrade.
After the re-organization of the JNA in the spring of 1992, it formally fell under the command of the Second Military District of Sarajevo, but most likely continued to be led by the First Military District of Belgrade.
By the turn of the year 1991/1992, preliminary tank units (apparently from the abandoned Jastrebarsko
Jastrebarsko
- Antiquity :In 1865, remnants of a Roman settlement were uncovered in Repišće, Klinča Sela, a village in Jastrebarsko metropolitan area. Further archeological investigation in the late 20th century classified them as a villa rustica and a necropolis consisting of six tumuli, both dating to...
garrison in Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
) were stationed near Zvornik. By February or March 1992 (at the time of the referendum on independence), additional units of the former JNA-tank units and artillery and anti-aircraft positions were stationed in the Zvornik region. Initially, the tanks still carried the JNA emblems. It was only later that they were replaced by the Serbian flag and the coat-of-arms emblem. But, the troops themselves, officers and soldiers, had Serbian badges (showing a Serbian flag on the front part of the beret and on the upper arm).
On the Serbian side of the Drina river bank, various tank positions could be identified as well. Additional forces, including artillery
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
, anti-aircraft weaponry, and tank
Tank
A tank is a tracked, armoured fighting vehicle designed for front-line combat which combines operational mobility, tactical offensive, and defensive capabilities...
s were being positioned there.
Build-up
The attack on Zvornik started on 8 April 1992, just a few days after the first Serb violent take over of a Bosnian town, BijeljinaBijeljina massacre
The Bijeljina massacre refers to the killings of Bosniaks by the Serbian paramilitary group Arkan's Tigers during the Bosnian war. A number of Serbs who attempted to stop the massacre were also killed. At least 48 civilians were killed. Local courts have not filed a single war-crimes indictment...
According to witness accounts, former JNA troops from the following garrisons were involved during the attack:
- Tuzla garrison: some of the tanks used in Zvornik were part of the units which were transferred from Jastrebarsko, Croatia to Tuzla.
- BijeljinaBijeljinaBijeljina is a city and municipality in northeastern Bosnia and Herzegovina. The city is the second largest in the Republika Srpska entity after Banja Luka and fifth largest city in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and is situated on the flat rich plains of Semberija...
garrison: The infantry divisions of the former JNA were reserve units of the mobilization base, Bijeljina.
The planes and helicopters which participated in the aggression are also reported to have come from Tuzla. Prior to the attack, units from Novi Sad
Novi Sad
Novi Sad is the capital of the northern Serbian province of Vojvodina, and the administrative centre of the South Bačka District. The city is located in the southern part of Pannonian Plain on the Danube river....
, Šabac
Šabac
Šabac is a city and municipality in western Serbia, along the Sava river, in the historic region of Mačva. It is the administrative center of the Mačva District. The city has a population of 52,822 , while population of the municipality is 115,347...
, Sremska Mitrovica
Sremska Mitrovica
Sremska Mitrovica is a city and municipality located in the Vojvodina province of Serbia, on the left bank of the Sava river. As of 2002 the town had a total population of 39,041, while Sremska Mitrovica municipality had a population of 85,605...
and Valjevo
Valjevo
Valjevo is a city and municipality located in western Serbia. It is the center of the Kolubara District, which includes five other smaller municipalities with a total population of almost 180,000 people...
(Serbia) were partly stationed along the Serbian side of the Drina river bank, and partly on the Bosnian side. They further participated in the attack on Zvornik, operating from Serbian territory. One unit from Šabac purportedly was housed in the «Dom Kulture» in Mali Zvornik. It was further claimed that there was a «small barracks» also in Radalj north of Mali Zvornik. There were indications that a «special unit» from Niš might have been involved in the attack on Zvornik and later on Kulagrad.
They were equipped with machine-guns M 52, M 65, M 66, M 70A, M 70B, M 72; hand grenade launchers Zolja; kalashnikov
Kalashnikov
Kalashnikov is commonly used to refer to a type of rifle, but it and similar words also have other meanings:-People:*Mikhail Kalashnikov , Russian small arms designer*Maxim Kalashnikov , Russian writer and political activist...
s; knives, MIG 21 and MIG 29, Jastreb with machine-guns and gunners, Gallop, «Eagles» (aerial photographs); helicopters MT 6 or MT 8 and others.
Regarding the infantry units, they were not only composed of the «regular members» of the former JNA and of mobilized reserve forces, but also of «volunteers». Several of the individuals interviewed said that they had noted that prior to the attack, (i.e., in March 1992), and throughout the attack, the soldiers--and, some claimed, officers as well--no longer wore the badges of the former JNA. Instead, they had Serbian badges and cockades. However, at that time, the vehicles and machinery still had the old Yugoslav identity symbols. Moreover, many soldiers wearing «old JNA uniforms», used a «white band» on the upper arm as additional identifying marks. This identification only made sense if somebody wanted to distinguish himself from the uniformly dressed soldiers.
The attack
The military attack on Zvornik occurred on 8 April 1992. Later, there were sporadic military operations with units of the former JNA cooperating with paramilitary units. These operations mainly focused on the medieval fortress of Kulagrad, situated to the south-west of Zvornik, where some dozen resistance fighters were holding out. However, on 26 April, this fortress was conquered in a concerted attack by former JNA troops, with air support, and by paramilitaryParamilitary
A paramilitary is a force whose function and organization are similar to those of a professional military, but which is not considered part of a state's formal armed forces....
units. Immediately after the fall of Kulagrad, the town of Divić, situated south of Zvornik, was attacked. Divić was almost exclusively populated by Bosniaks and was situated at the hydro-electric power plant.
The attack on the town was conducted both from the Serbian side and from Bosnian territory, using tank forces, artillery, and infantry units with portable mortar
Mortar (weapon)
A mortar is an indirect fire weapon that fires explosive projectiles known as bombs at low velocities, short ranges, and high-arcing ballistic trajectories. It is typically muzzle-loading and has a barrel length less than 15 times its caliber....
s. JNA units and paramilitary units cooperated. Arkanovci operated in front-line positions, taking the city. Their core troops left the city after the successful attack to prepare a raid on the next city, Bratunac
Bratunac
Bratunac is a town and municipality located in eastern Bosnia and Herzegovina. The easternmost point of Bosnia and Herzegovina is located in the municipality of Bratunac which lies in the Republika Srpska.-1971:26.513 total...
.
The attack began on the morning of 8 April, with mortar fire on the Bukovik
Bukovik
Bukovik is a village in the municipality of Aranđelovac, Serbia. According to the 2002 census, the village has a population of 2743 people....
and Meterize city districts, as well as on the Muslim-held defence positions on the Debelo Brdo hill. It came from the artillery positions in Karakaj, from the Bosnian side before Meterize, and from the Serbian side of the River Drina (Mali Zvornik
Mali Zvornik
Mali Zvornik is a town and municipality located in the Mačva District of Serbia. In 2011, the population of the town is 4,384, while the population of the municipality is 12,496. It lays opposite of the Drina river from the town of Zvornik, in Bosnia and Herzegovina.-History:There are traces of...
). First shots were fired in the Meterize suburb. This attack was mainly carried out by the heavy equipment of the JNA (artillery and tanks). There are also reports of Arkanovci snipers firing from Mali Zvornik on the opposite river bank, and of snipers aiming at residents from positions on highrise buildings in Zvornik itself. The Muslim position on Debelo Brdo, however, fell on that same day and was occupied.
During the night there was heavy shelling of the town. The capture of the city did not begin until the following day, 9 April. In the morning, there were again negotiations with Arkan, which ended in an ultimatum for the surrender of weapons and the town by 8:00 a.m. At 8:00 a.m. artillery fire started again, followed by the capture of the town by the infantry. The Arkanovci assumed a leading role in the take-over of the city, proceeding from the north via the Bukovik and Meterize city districts heading for the city centre. In addition, infantry units of the JNA in cooperation with «Serb volunteers» (Seseljovci, Beli Orlovi, «TO») also took part in the seizure of the city. They approached the city primarily from the west, in a «second wave». It was reported that on the very first day, as well as during the subsequent weeks, there were random executions, rapes, and massacre
Massacre
A massacre is an event with a heavy death toll.Massacre may also refer to:-Entertainment:*Massacre , a DC Comics villain*Massacre , a 1932 drama film starring Richard Barthelmess*Massacre, a 1956 Western starring Dane Clark...
s. In these, the units of the Seseljovci, Beli Orlovi and the so-called «territorial defence» were also involved. On 10 and 11 April, Zvornik was captured. The Kulagrad fortress north of Zvornik and the town of Divić bordering Zvornik to the South had not yet been occupied.
On 9 April, artillery attacks on Kulagrad started as the attacking units were expecting major Muslim resistance forces. Even before the attack, Serbian media reported that «several thousand Muslim extremists» were hiding in Kulagrad. In fact, there were probably no more than a few dozen armed Muslims under the command of a former JNA officer who spontaneously organized a resistance movement with light equipment (small arms).
From 11 April onward, there were almost daily attempts by small combat groups from various paramilitary units to capture the fortress. These attempts failed, however, despite the fact that Kulagrad was constantly under fire from mortars, anti- aircraft guns and tanks. The reason for this failure might be due to the apparent lack of coordination of the attacks, as well as deficiencies in the training of the infantry units involved. These settlements were captured by May.
Aftermath
Around 10 or 11 April, the «ordinance on the introduction of the general work requirement», along with an extension of the deadline, was broadcast by Radio Zvornik. But this appeal was not followed, as there were still numerous paramilitary troops in town who were looting and terrorizing the locals. Therefore, the appeal was broadcast once more a few days later (approximately 15 or 16 April). The overall response to these appeals was however rather poor. The experiences of those who did follow the appeal to return to the workplace showed that the true purpose of this appeal, and of others that followed, was to monitor the male Bosniak inhabitants.Immediately after the occupation of the town, a night curfew
Curfew
A curfew is an order specifying a time after which certain regulations apply. Examples:# An order by a government for certain persons to return home daily before a certain time...
was imposed which remained in force until the «ethnic cleansing
Ethnic cleansing
Ethnic cleansing is a purposeful policy designed by one ethnic or religious group to remove by violent and terror-inspiring means the civilian population of another ethnic orreligious group from certain geographic areas....
» was completed. During the day, men were allowed to move around only with a permit issued by the Serbian police at Zvornik. Many of the men who went to Karakaj (or later to the police office in Zvornik) in order to apply for a «permit» were suddenly deported into one of the camps in the industrial district of Karakaj
Karakaj
Karakaj is a town located 2 km north from the city Zvornik in Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina, on the Drina River, it has also the border checkpoint with Serbia. The word Karakaj comes from Turkish word which means dark stone...
. While at the camp, they were subjected to severe torture and murder, in particular by members of the paramilitary troops whose quarters were partly in the same buildings as those in which the prisoners were detained. Many of the men, therefore, did not dare to pick up their passes themselves, but remained in hiding in houses. However, even persons with a pass were not safe from random aggressions by the numerous paramilitary units in town. It was reported by some witnesses that immediately upon leaving the police station, they had their passes taken away or torn into pieces by members of a paramilitary group. Some of them were attacked and deported into camps.
From the onset of the occupation, Bosniaks were prohibited from working, except for persons deemed indispensable (e.g. hospital
Hospital
A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment. Hospitals often, but not always, provide for inpatient care or longer-term patient stays....
personnel, who were not released until the end of May). Everyday life was dominated by the fact that maraudering paramilitary troops, who were not controlled by any authority, terrorized the Muslim population of Zvornik.
Expulsion and organized deportation
After the stage of «unorganized» expulsionPopulation transfer
Population transfer is the movement of a large group of people from one region to another by state policy or international authority, most frequently on the basis of ethnicity or religion...
of the Bosniak population by means of terror, the next step was to prepare the total expulsion of the inhabitants with the support of administrative measures. The first step had already been the appeal to return. The registration of property that was mandatory for all inhabitants, including the Serbian population, served above all the purpose of registering the male Bosniak population. For this reason, only men were eligible for registration, which had to be completed before the «Serbian municipality» or the «Serbian militia», even if a property was originally registered under the wife's name. As a result, these registrations led to arrests and deportations to camps, apparently on the basis of pre-established lists.
An «agency for the exchange of houses» was set up, to which the Bosniak inhabitants were to transfer their houses. In return, the Bosniaks were promised houses belonging to Bosnian Serbs (e.g. in the Tuzla region) who supposedly had also assigned their homes to the agency. In order to make this «offer to exchange houses
Population transfer
Population transfer is the movement of a large group of people from one region to another by state policy or international authority, most frequently on the basis of ethnicity or religion...
» more attractive looking, Serbian radio stations transmitted broadcasts about the successful exchange of houses by prominent Muslim inhabitants. These exchanges were, in many cases, found out to be falsified, incorrect, or conducted under coercion.
Departure from the town was only possible on the condition that the property was renounced and transferred to the «Serbian District of Zvornik». This forced transfer of property was executed by the "Serbian District of Zvornik" in cooperation with the police and paramilitary units, especially the Draganovci. Eventually, the Muslims were glad to sign the deed in order to get away from the terror.
Documents that had to be shown upon leaving the town included:
- a personal ID card, in which the date of the notice of change of address was entered by the authority.
- a permit which guaranteed the holder the freedom of movement on the territory of the "Serbian District of Zvornik" and the access to the territory of the FRYFry-Food and cooking:* Frying, the act of cooking food in oil or fat** Pan frying, frying food in a flat pan** Stir frying, frying food in a wok and stirring it while it cooks* Full breakfast, a traditional cooked meal, also called a fry-up or Ulster fry...
. - a stub certifying the «change of addressAddressAddress may refer to:*Address , a code and abstract concept expressing a location on the Earth's surface ...*Public speaking*Style , honorifics*In computing and telecommunication:...
»
Legal proceedings
Vojislav ŠešeljVojislav Šešelj
Vojislav Šešelj, JD is a Serbian politician, writer and lawyer. He is the founder and president of the Serbian Radical Party and was vice-president of Serbia between 1998 and 2000...
was charged by the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia
International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia
The International Tribunal for the Prosecution of Persons Responsible for Serious Violations of International Humanitarian Law Committed in the Territory of the Former Yugoslavia since 1991, more commonly referred to as the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia or ICTY, is a...
for crimes after the capture of Zvornik. Biljana Plavšić
Biljana Plavšic
Biljana Plavšić is a former president of Republika Srpska and war criminal. She is the highest ranking Bosnian Serb politician to be sentenced. She was indicted in 2001 by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia for war crimes committed during the Bosnian war...
was sentenced to 11 and Momčilo Krajišnik
Momcilo Krajišnik
Momčilo Krajišnik is a Bosnian Serb former politician convicted of murder and other crimes against humanity during the Bosnian war .He co-founded the Bosnian Serb nationalist Serbian Democratic Party with Radovan...
to 27 years by the Tribunal, among others for their crimes in the city.
Vojin Vučković, commander of the Yellow Wasps
Yellow Wasps
The Yellow Wasps were a Serbian paramilitary group which was active in the Bosnian War. Its leader was Vojin Vučković Žućo. The group was active in the Zvornik region...
, and his brother Duško were convicted in 1996 for killing of 17 civilians in Čelopek
Čelopek (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
Čelopek is a suburb of the city of Zvornik, on the Drina river in northeastern Bosnia and Herzegovina. At the start of the Bosnian war 1992-1995, in the early stages of the ethnic cleansing of the Bosniak population of the Drina Valley, brutal war crimes were perpetrated by the Yellow Wasps...
, a suburb of the town of Zvornik, during the ethnic cleansing of the Bosniak population of the Drina valley in 1992.
On 28 November 2005, the War Crimes Chamber in Belgrade began the trial of the "Zvornik Group" (Branko Grujić, Branko Popović, Dragan Slavković, Ivan Korać, Siniša Filipović, Dragutin Dragićević and Duško Vučković). They were accused of murdering at least 22 and forcefully deporting 1822 Bosniaks.
On 4 January 2010, Darko Janković was arrested in suspicion of killing at least 19 Bosniaks in Čelopek.
In June 2010, the Belgrade court brought a verdict and sentenced three people for war crimes in Zvornik. Dragan Slavković was sentenced to 12 years, Ivan Korać to 9 years and Siniša Filipović to three years in prison. The fourth suspect, Dragutin Dragičević, was freed of all charges. The three convicts were said to have tortured and killed at least 19 out of 162 illegally captured Bosniak civilians from Divič in the "Dom kulture" in Čalopek.
During the trial, witness B-24, a police officer
Police officer
A police officer is a warranted employee of a police force...
and member of the Crisis staff in Zvornik, described how in April 1992 a person working in Zvornik under the pseudonym "Marko Pavlovic" made a phone call to JNA officers and within 24 to 48 hours, weapons and ammunition
Ammunition
Ammunition is a generic term derived from the French language la munition which embraced all material used for war , but which in time came to refer specifically to gunpowder and artillery. The collective term for all types of ammunition is munitions...
shipments would arrive for the "defense" of Zvornik. The ICTY brought the following verdict on Zvornik:
On 1 October 2010, at the trial of Mićo Stanišić and Stojan Župljanin, which are accused of committing crimes between April 1 and December 31, 1992, in 20 municipalities throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina including Zvornik, a former member of the Serbian Democratic Party
Serbian Democratic Party
The Serbian Democratic Party is a political party in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is led by Mladen Bosić...
(SDS) testified that senior Bosnian Serb officials were informed of the atrocities that were being committed in Zvornik.
On 22 November 2010, Branko Grujić, a municipal official, and Branko Popović, a former territorial defense commander, were sentenced to 6 and 15 years respectively for their role in the "Zvornik group" that "imprisoned, inhumanely treated and killed around 700 people" in Zvornik from May to July 1992. The verdict determined that more than 1,600 civilians were forced to leave the Zvornik area. The bodies of 352 victims have been found and identified since the war. The War Crimes Prosecutor's Office said it would appeal the verdicts, stating that the sentences were "inadequate considering the responsibility of the accused, with regard to the number of victims, the mass and brutal character of the crimes."
External links
- Video of the prosecution of crimes in Zvornik (Bosnian)
- The Death of Yugoslavia - part 3 on Google video (includes Zvornik attack)