HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES IN BOSNIA-HERCEGOVINA - REPORTED RAPES OF YOUNG MUSLIM WOMEN

UNCLASSIFIED SECTION 01 OF 02 ZAGREB 01856 SIPDIS WHITE HOUSE WASHDC 0884 UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ZAGREB 01856 SIPDIS C O R R E C T E D C O P Y -- SECTION 2 DUPLICATE TEXT OMITTED USVIENNA FOR USDEL CSCE E.O. 12356: N/A TAGS: PREF PHUM HR PHUM HR BK SUBJECT: HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES IN BOSNIA-HERCEGOVINA - REPORTED RAPES OF YOUNG MUSLIM WOMEN - ¶1. A TWO-PAGE ARTICLE IN THE SEPT 25 EDITION OF THE ZAGREB WEEKLY "GLOBUS" REPORTS THAT A GROUP OF FORTY YOUNG WOMEN FROM THE MUSLIM-POPULATED TOWN OF BREZOVO POLJE, NORTH OF SARAJEVO, WERE BRUTALIZED AND REPEATEDLY RAPED IN MAY OF THIS YEAR BY SERBIAN SOLDIERS. THE WOMEN, NINE OF WHOM ARE SHOWN IN A GROUP PHOTOGRAPH WITH THEIR MOTHERS AND SEVERAL OF THE MOST HEAVILY QUOTED OF WHOM ARE SHOWN IN INDIVIDUAL PHOTOS, ARE NOW IN A DISPLACED PERSONS CAMP IN TUZLA. THERE A "GLOBUS" JOURNALIST INTERVIEWED THEM, ALONG WITH DR. MELIKA KREITMAYER, IDENTIFIED AS THE HEAD OF A GROUP OF GYNECOLOGISTS SENT BY THE UN TO B-H TO INVESTIGATE REPORTED CASES OF "BODILY ATTACKS" ON THE PART OF SERBS. ¶2. THE ARTICLE DESCRIBES THE VIOLENCE DONE TO MIRSADA DIDOVIC (23 YEARS OF AGE),ALMIRA AJANOVIC (18),JASMINA FERIC (20),SEVLETA AJANOVIC (18),TWO UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 03 ZAGREB 01856 01 OF 02 302330Z MINORS IDENTIFIED AS MEJRA (17) AND ZIBA (17),AND NUMEROUS OTHERS WHO WOULD NOT ALLOW THEIR NAMES TO BE REVEALED. THE WOMEN INTERVIEWED GAVE SIMILAR ACCOUNTS OF HOW SERBIAN SOLDIERS HAD ENTERED THEIR TOWN IN MAY, FORCED THEIR WAY INTO MUSLIM HOMES, TAKEN THE MOST ATTRACTIVE YOUNG WOMEN FROM THEIR FAMILIES, AND JAILED THEM. GROUPS OF SERBIAN SOLDIERS REPORTEDLY THEN RAPED THEM OVER A PERIOD OF SEVERAL DAYS. ONE VICTIM, ALMIRA AJANOVIC, WAS REPORTEDLY GANG RAPED IN FRONT OF HER FATHER, WHO WAS HIMSELF GAGGED AND BOUND BY WIRE. ANOTHER, JASMINA FERIC, REPORTEDLY WITNESSED THE SLITTING OF HER FATHER'S THROAT AND THE SHOOTING OF HER MOTHER BEFORE SHE WAS GANG RAPED BY NINE SOLDIERS FOR THREE DAYS. - ¶3. THROUGH QUOTES FROM DR. KREITMAYER AND SEVERAL OF THE VICTIMS, WHO IN TURN QUOTED THEIR ATTACKERS, THE ARTICLE ARGUES THAT GROSS VIOLENCE AGAINST AND HUMILIATION OF MUSLIM WOMEN WAS NOT A HAPPENSTANCE OF WAR OR MERELY THE ISOLATED ACTS OF CRAZED SOLDIERS. RATHER, IT WAS SUPPOSEDLY PART OF A DELIBERATE SERBIAN STRATEGY TO SOW TERROR IN THE MUSLIM POPULATION. ¶4. DR. KREITMAYER IS REPORTED TO HAVE PHYSICALLY EXAMINED THE WOMEN, SOME OF WHOM HAD BECOME PREGNANT AND ABORTED. -------------- CAVEAT -------------- UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 04 ZAGREB 01856 01 OF 02 302330Z ¶5. WE HAVE NO INDEPENDENT INFORMATION WITH WHICH TO CORROBORATE THESE ALLEGATIONS. THE SOURCE FOR THE ABOVE REPORT,"GLOBUS," TENDS HEAVILY TO THE SENSATIONALIST, BUT NEVERTHELESS REGULARLY PROVIDES "EXCLUSIVE" REPORTAGE WIDELY CONSIDERED TO BE ESSENTIALLY ACCURATE. THIS STORY CONTAINS ENOUGH UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 01 ZAGREB 01856 02 OF 02 290958Z ACTION EUR-01 INFO LOG-00 AID-01 AMAD-01 CIAE-00 C-01 DODE-00 CISA-02 EB-01 HA-09 H-01 INRE-00 INR-01 IO-19 LAB-04 L-03 ADS-00 NSAE-00 OIC-02 PA-02 PRS-01 P-01 RP-10 SDEL-01 SIL-01 SP-01 SR-01 SSO-00 SS-00 STR-18 TRSE-00 /082W -------------- 6764DE 290958Z /38 O 290959Z SEP 92 FM AMCONSUL ZAGREB TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 2200 INFO AMEMBASSY BELGRADE AMEMBASSY ANKARA AMEMBASSY ATHENS AMEMBASSY BONN AMEMBASSY BRUSSELS AMEMBASSY BUDAPEST AMEMBASSY LONDON AMEMBASSY MADRID AMEMBASSY MOSCOW AMEMBASSY PARIS AMEMBASSY ROME AMEMBASSY THE HAGUE AMEMBASSY VIENNA USMISSION GENEVA USMISSION USUN NEW YORK USMISSION USVIENNA USIA WASHDC 2114 USEC BRUSSELS UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 02 ZAGREB 01856 02 OF 02 290958Z WHITE HOUSE WASHDC 0885 UNCLAS SECTION 02 OF 02 ZAGREB 01856 SIPDIS USVIENNA FOR USDEL CSCE E.O. 12356: N/A TAGS: PREF PHUM HR PHUM HR BK SUBJECT: HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES IN BOSNIA-HERCEGOVINA - - REPORTED RAPES OF YOUNG MUSLIM WOMEN - ¶1. A TWO-PAGE ARTICLE IN THE SEPT 25 EDITION OF THE ZAGREB WEEKLY "GLOBUS" REPORTS THAT A GROUP OF FORTY YOUNG WOMEN FROM THE MUSLIM-POPULATED TOWN OF BREZOVO POLJE, NORTH OF SARAJEVO, WERE BRUTALIZED AND REPEATEDLY RAPED IN MAY OF THIS YEAR BY SERBIAN SOLDIERS. THE WOMEN, NINE OF WHOM ARE SHOWN IN A GROUP PHOTOGRAPH WITH THEIR MOTHERS AND SEVERAL OF THE MOST HEAVILY QUOTED OF WHOM ARE SHOWN IN INDIVIDUAL PHOTOS, ARE NOW IN A DISPLACED PERSONS CAMP IN TUZLA. THERE A "GLOBUS" JOURNALIST INTERVIEWED THEM, ALONG WITH DR. MELIKA KREITMAYER, IDENTIFIED AS THE HEAD OF A GROUP OF GYNECOLOGISTS SENT BY THE UN TO B-H TO INVESTIGATE REPORTED CASES OF "BODILY ATTACKS" ON THE PART OF SERBS. NAMES, DATES, PLACES, AND OTHER SPECIFICS -- INCLUDING PHOTOGRAPHS OF QUOTED VICTIMS -- TO APPEAR CREDIBLE. ALLEGATIONS OF MASS RAPES BY SERBIAN SOLDIERS IN B-H ARE NOT NEW, BUT THIS IS THE FIRST SUCH STORY WE HAVE SEEN WITH SPECIFICALLY IDENTIFIED UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 03 ZAGREB 01856 02 OF 02 290958Z AND QUOTED VICTIMS. NEITZKE UNCLASSIFIED >