The largest mass grave in Bosnia and Herzegovina – Tomašica – evidence of genocide in Prijedor
We will not forget the genocide in Prijedor
Members of the International Expert Team of the Institute for Research of Genocide, Canada professor dr. Smail Cekic, Amor Mašović and professor dr. Mujo Begic visited a mass grave Tomašica
Bosnia discovers one of the largest mass graves in the past 10 years
In carrying out the exhumation ordered by the Prosecutor’s Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina, a large mass grave with the remains of a large number of victims of the genocide near Prijedor (northwestern Bosnia) was discovered today.
This is one of the largest mass graves in the area found in the last 10 years.
”The mass grave was hidden by artificial mounds of the soil. Detailed digging turned up several meters of a soil layer made up of the accumulated mortal remains. Investigator of the Prosecutor’s Office is on the ground to coordinate the work of all those involved in the process of exhumation”, said a statement from the Prosecution.
According to the preliminary estimates, the massive tomb hides dozens of victims. The exact number and identity of victims will be confirmed by detailed excavations and the fortification of victim’s identity by available forensic methods.
”According to the evidence collected in the mass grave, there are the bodies of victims of Bosnian and Croatian nationality from and around the Prijedor area who were killed in the summer of 1992. It is the primary mass grave, and certainly one of the largest in the northwestern Bosnia”, the statement said.
Director of the Missing Persons Institute (MPI) of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Amor Masovic confirmed to the Anadolu Agency (AA) it’s the primary mass grave because the bodies of victims are complete and can be found at great depth.
”Even these are not complete skeletal bodies but are partially present and soft tissues because the soil is clay. We found the victims’ watches and some money. But most probably the killings were carried out in other places and have been transported to the place of the present tomb”, explained Masovic.
He added that the victims were probably prisoners of Prijedor concentration camps, Keraterm and Trnopolje.
Prosecution and other institutions involved in the exhumation are taking intensive activities to secure these locations, and organizing process of excavations for the further forensic processing and fortification of the identities.
So far found and identified are 2,082 victims of Prijedor and still searching for about 1,200 Bosniak and Croatian victims killed during the war in and arround the Prijedor area.
Keraterm and Trnopolje were prisoner camps near city of Prijedor during the Bosnian war
Bosnia mass grave could yield evidence for ex-Yugoslav war crime trials
It’s taken more than 20 years for the ground of North West Bosnia to give up its secrets. But now teams from the International Commission of Missing Persons are confident they have discovered one of the biggest mass graves from the Bosnia war at Tomasica near Prijedor.
By Penny Marshall, ITV News