The Štrpci massacre was the 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...

 of 19 non-Serb citizens of Serbia and Montenegro (18 Bosniaks

Bosniaks

The Bosniaks or Bosniacs are a South Slavic ethnic group, living mainly in Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a smaller minority also present in other lands of the Balkan Peninsula especially in Serbia, Montenegro and Croatia...

, one Croat) taken from 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...

-Bar

Bar, Montenegro

Bar is a coastal town in Montenegro. It has a population of 17,727...

 train at Štrpci station, near Priboj

Priboj

Priboj is a town and municipality located in the Zlatibor District of Serbia at 43.59° North, 19.54° East. In 2011, the town has a total population of 14,015, while population of the municipality is 27,127.- History :...

 in 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...

 but outside Serbian territory, on 27 February 1993.

Background

The Belgrade to Bar railway crosses into Bosnia and Herzegovina for 9 km, between the stations at Zlatibor

Zlatibor

Zlatibor is a mountain region situated in the western part of Serbia, a part of the Dinaric Alps.The mountain range spreads over an area of 300 km², 27 miles in length, southeast to northwest, and up to 23 miles in width. The highest peak is Tornik at 1496 m...

 and Priboj, both in Serbia. There is one station, Štrpci, but there are no border crossing facilities and trains do not routinely call at the station. The abducted passengers were taken off the train, robbed and physically abused. They were then taken to the village of Visegradska banja near Višegrad

Višegrad

Višegrad is a town and municipality in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is part of the Republika Srpska entity. It is on the river Drina, located on the road from Goražde and Ustiprača towards Užice, Serbia.-History:...

 in 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...

, where they were tortured and killed in a burned-out house near the river Drina

Drina

The Drina is a 346 kilometer long river, which forms most of the border between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia. It is the longest tributary of the Sava River and the longest karst river in the Dinaric Alps which belongs to the Danube river watershed...

. Their remains have not been found.

Members of the "Avengers" ("Osvetnici") military unit, commanded by Milan Lukić

Milan Lukic

Milan Lukić is a former head of the paramilitary group known as White Eagles who was found guilty by the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia in July 2009 of crimes against humanity and violations of war customs committed in the Višegrad municipality of Bosnia and...

, with logistical support from the Republic of Serbia, were responsible for the abductions. Of approximately 30 suspects the only individual convicted for his role in the crime is Nebojša Ranisavljević who was sentenced by the Serbian Supreme Court in Bijelo Polje

Bijelo Polje

Bijelo Polje is a town in northern Montenegro. It has a population of 15,883 .Bijelo Polje is the center of municipality . It is unofficial center of north-eastern region of Montenegro...

 in 2002 to 15 years imprisonment. The Commander of the Republika Srpska Army's (VRS) Višegrad brigade, Luka Dragićević, admitted at Ranisavljević's trial that the “Avengers” unit was part of the VRS army. After the war Dragićević was transferred to a position in the FRY Army.

Amnesty International expressed concern that Ranisavljević had been made a scapegoat and that the trial was a token affair. It was alleged that Ranisavljević had been tortured in detention to force him to make incriminating statements.

Senior officials in the Serbian and Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY) governments were alerted to the plan to abduct citizens of the FRY but no action was were taken to prevent the crime. It is alleged that the Štrpci massacre and the Sjeverin massacre

Sjeverin massacre

The Sjeverin massacre was the massacre on 22 October 1992 of 16 Bosniak citizens of Serbia from the village of Sjeverin abducted from a Serbian bus in the village of Mioče, on Bosnian territory. The abductees were taken to the Vilina Vlas hotel in Višegrad where they were tortured before being...

 were part of a campaign of 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....

 conducted against Bosniaks in the Sandžak

Sandžak

Sandžak also known as Raška is a historical region lying along the border between Serbia and Montenegro...

 area of Serbia that was organised and carried out under the cover of 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...

. Police and judicial officials are alleged to have obstructed court proceedings against Milan Lukić.

The failure of Serbian officials to investigate the crime remains a significant political issue in Serbia.