TFSROL: SEVERE HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES IN BOSNIA- HERZEGOIVNA: EYEWITNESS REPORT OF RAPE AND MALTREATMENT OF CIVILIANS BY SERBIAN FORCES LIMITED OFFICIAL USE

UNCLASSIFIED LIMITED OFFICIAL USE SECTION 01 OF 02 ZAGREB 001473 SIPDIS STATE FOR EUR/EE, L, HA, IO VIENNA ALSO FOR BOSNIA E.O. 12356: N/A TAGS: SUBJECT: TFSROL: SEVERE HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES IN BOSNIA- HERZEGOIVNA: EYEWITNESS REPORT OF RAPE AND MALTREATMENT OF CIVILIANS BY SERBIAN FORCES LIMITED OFFICIAL USE LIMITED OFFICIAL USE PAGE 02 ZAGREB 01473 01 OF 02 131754Z REF: ZAGREB 0945 AND PREVIOUS -------------- INTRODUCTION -------------- ¶1. (U) THIS IS ONE IN A SERIES OF INTERVIEWS WITH WAR CRIMES VICTIMS CONDUCTED IN LATE 1993 IN MAOCA, BOSNIA- HERZEGOVINA BY AN OFDA (DART/ZAGREB) FIELD REPRESENTATIVE AND AN AMCIT INTERNATIONAL RESCUE COMMITTEE (IRC) REPRESENTATIVE WHILE THEY WERE IN THE AREA ASSESSING HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE NEEDS. THIS REPORT, LIKE THE OTHERS, NAMES VICTIMS AND, IN SOME CASES, PERPETRATORS AND THE DETAILS OF SPECIFIC CRIMES. -------------- WITNESS INFORMATION -------------- ¶2. (LOU) THE WITNESS, MRS. HADZIRA HAMZIC (STRICTLY PROTECT) WAS BORN ON APRIL 25, 1937. HER SONS MEHO AND SABAN HAMZIC, HER 3 DAUGHTERS-IN-LAW (SAFETA, NEZIRA AND MEVLA) AND SEVEN GRANDCHILDREN (MIRNES, MIRNESA, MEDINA, SABINA, MIRSAD, ZAHID AND MIRELA) ARE MENTIONED BELOW; THEIR NAMES SHOULD ALSO BE STRICTLY PROTECTED. MRS. HAMZIC LIVED IN LJIPLJE, A VILLAGE NEAR ZVORNIK, WHERE SHE WORKED ON THE LAND AND RAISED HER FAMILY. AT THE TIME OF HER INTERVIEW, MRS. HAMZIC LIVED AT IVE ANDRICA B.B., C/O HAMDIJA BAJRAMOVIC, IN TUZLA. -------------- LIMITED OFFICIAL USE LIMITED OFFICIAL USE PAGE 03 ZAGREB 01473 01 OF 02 131754Z THE WITNESS'S ACCOUNT -------------- ¶3. (U) THE WITNESS SAID THAT ON MAY 20, 1992, SEVERAL "CHETNIKS" (SERBIAN SOLDIERS) SURROUNDED THE WITNESS'S HOUSE AND THE NEARBY HOUSES OF TWO OF HER SONS. SHE, HER TWO SONS, HER THREE DAUGHTERS-IN-LAW AND HER SEVEN GRANDCHILDREN WERE GATHERED TOGETHER IN ONE ROOM. ALL OF THEIR GOLD WAS TAKEN FROM THEIR BODIES AND THEIR HOUSES WERE SEARCHED. AFTER THAT, THEY WERE ALL TAKEN ACROSS THE RIVER ON FOOT TO THE VILLAGE OF SALIHOVICI. THERE THEY WERE TAKEN TO A LARGE MULTI-STOREY HOUSE OWNED BY "DZUFA" (NFI). THEY WERE SEARCHED THERE AND ADDITIONAL GOLD OBJECTS, WHICH THEY HAD SECRETED ABOUT THEIR PERSONS, WERE TAKEN. ¶4. (U) THE WITNESS ESTIMATED THAT SEVERAL HUNDRED MEN, WOMEN, AND CHILDREN WERE BEING KEPT IN THE HOUSE. THE MEN WERE KEPT SEPARATELY, IN A VERY CROWDED PANTRY; THEY WERE GIVEN NO FOOD FOR THE FIRST THREE DAYS. OCCASIONALLY, THE WITNESS SAID, A PIECE OF BREAD WOULD BE THROWN IN THE ROOM WHERE THE WOMEN WERE AND THEY WERE BEATEN IF THEY TRIED TO PICK IT UP. ¶5. (U) THE WITNESS SAID "CHETNIKS" WOULD COME TO THE HOUSE AT NIGHT AND TAKE WOMEN INDIVIDUALLY TO ANOTHER HOUSE IN THE SAME VILLAGE. SHE HERSELF WAS TAKEN ON TWO OCCASIONS BY TWO SOLDIERS EACH TIME. SHE WAS RAPED BY BOTH MEN ON EACH OCCASION. THEY WORE REGULAR "CHETNIK" UNIFORMS. THEIR NAMES WERE VLAJKICA OBRENOVIC, "TIHOMIR" (NFI),AND "ZORAN" (NFI). THE FOURTH WAS CALLED BY THE LIMITED OFFICIAL USE LIMITED OFFICIAL USE PAGE 04 ZAGREB 01473 01 OF 02 131754Z NICKNAME "BRZI" ("SPEEDY"). ON THESE OCCASIONS THE WITNESS WAS ALSO BEATEN WITH THE CHAIN FROM A CHAINSAW. ¶6. (U) ONE OF THE WITNESS'S SONS (THE FIRST MENTIONED IN PARA TWO, ABOVE) WAS TAKEN AWAY SEPARATELY AND BEATEN VERY BADLY. HER OTHER SON AND HIS FAMILY WERE TAKEN FROM SALIHOVICI DURING HER IMPRISONMENT THERE; AT THE TIME OF HER INTERVIEW, THE WITNESS DID NOT KNOW WHERE THEY WERE. ¶7. (U) ABOUT TWO WEEKS AFTER THE "CHETNIKS" FIRST OCCUPIED THE VILLAGE, AT 5:00 P.M. ON A TUESDAY, THE BOSNIAN ARMY LIBERATED SALIHOVICI. EARLIER THE SAME DAY THE "CHETNIK" OCCUPIERS HAD ORDERED EVERYONE IN THE HOUSE TO COME OUT AND SURRENDER TO THE ATTACKING BOSNIAN ARMY FORCES. THE PEOPLE ON THE FIRST FLOOR DID SO AND WERE SHOT AND KILLED BY THE "CHETNIKS," THE WITNESS SAID; SHE ESTIMATED ABOUT FIFTY PEOPLE DIED IN THIS MANNER. THE PEO PLE UPSTAIRS, WHEN THEY SAW THESE EXECUTIONS, REFUSED TO COME OUT OF THE HOUSE. THEY WERE SAVED BY THE BOSNIAN ARMY. ¶8. (U) AFTER HER RELEASE, THE WITNESS DISCOVERED THAT A LIMITED OFFICIAL USE NNNN LIMITED OFFICIAL USE PAGE 01 ZAGREB 01473 02 OF 02 131754Z ACTION SS-00 INFO LOG-00 AID-01 AMAD-01 CIAE-00 C-01 OASY-00 DODE-00 EB-01 EUR-01 OIGO-01 HA-09 H-01 IMMC-01 TEDE-00 INR-00 IO-16 L-01 ADS-00 NSAE-00 NSCE-00 OIC-02 PA-01 PM-00 PRS-01 P-01 RP-10 RPCS-01 SCT-03 SP-00 SR-00 SSO-00 STR-01 TRSE-00 USIE-00 RPE-01 SNIS-00 NISC-02 PMB-00 /057W -------------- 3B7F5B 131956Z /38 R 131737Z APR 94 FM AMEMBASSY ZAGREB TO SECSTATE WASHDC 1544 INFO AMCONSUL MUNICH USMISSION USUN NEW YORK USMISSION GENEVA AMEMBASSY BELGRADE AMEMBASSY VIENNA LIMITED OFFICIAL USE SECTION 02 OF 02 ZAGREB 001473 STATE FOR EUR/EE, L, HA, IO VIENNA ALSO FOR BOSNIA E.O. 12356: N/A TAGS: SUBJECT: TFSROL: SEVERE HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES IN BOSNIA- HERZEGOIVNA: EYEWITNESS REPORT OF RAPE AND MALTREATMENT OF CIVILIANS BY SERBIAN FORCES LIMITED OFFICIAL USE LIMITED OFFICIAL USE PAGE 02 ZAGREB 01473 02 OF 02 131754Z LARGE PIT HAD BEEN RECENTLY DUG NEARBY BY THE "CHETNIKS". SHE BELIEVES THIS WAS TO HAVE BEEN USED AS A MASS GRAVE AND THAT THE "CHETNIKS" INTENDED TO SLAUGHTER ALL THE DETAINEES -- SEVERAL HUNDRED, AS ABOVE. NEITZKE LIMITED OFFICIAL USE NNNN