Do not forget

Series 11

This series is based on scientifically verified knowledge and the essential results of scientific research, of the many eminent researcher institutions of genocide and other crimes against humanity and international law in Europe and the world.

Genocide in Visegrad

Town of Višegrad is situated along the very eastern border between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia, along the banks of Drina river. As a border town, it was under the attack of great Serbian units, and maple crimes against humanity and international law were committed there, including genocide against Bosniacs as the gravest crime under the international law.

According to 1991 census, Višegrad population consisted of 21,199 residents, of which 13,471 were Muslims (Bosniacs) (63.55%); 6,743 Serbs (31.80%); 33 Croats (0.15%); 319 Yugoslavs (1.50%) and 635 Others (2.99%). As for the inner perimeter of the town, 7,413 were Bosniacs and 3,512 Serbs.

JNA Užice Corps, around the mid April 1993, occupied Višegrad and the entire municipality, and then the armed units of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro) and other Serb units from Bosnia and Herzegovina committed massive slaughters, killings, and burning of Bosniac civilians. Moreover, on 14 June 1992, special unit under the command of Milan Lukić captured more than 60 individuals, mainly women and children from Višegrad and neighboring villages (Koritnik and Sase), of different age, forced them into the house of Avdo Omeragić, at Pionirska street in Višegrad, and burnt them alive.

On 10 June 1992, Milan Lukić entered the factory Varda and singled out seven Bosniacs from their work posts. He took them to banks of Drina river, below the factory, and shot them dead, in witness of several observers, including the wife and daughter of Ibrišim Memišević, one of the victims. he killed all seven of them.

On 27 June 1992, only thirteen days after the first massive burning of Bosniac civilians in the house of Meho Alić, in the Višegrad settlement known as Bikavac, additional 72 civilians were burnt. Youngest victim was one-year old son (Ensar) and five-year old daughter (Elma) of Esad Tufekčić. The only survivor was Zehra Turjačanin, who managed to come of the house though completely covered in burns. Burning of the Bosniac civilians at Pionirska street and Bikavac, were characterized by ICTY judges as the worst examples of inhumane treatment of one person against the other.

In June 1992, hundreds of Bosniacs, men, women, and children, were killed on the bridges of the Drina river, and their bodies were thrown to the river. Numerous Bosniac men were detained in the JNA barracks in Uzamna and other places, where they were interrogated, tortured, and beaten up.

On 25 August 1992, Serb army attacked the village of Velji Lug and killed seven Bosniac women and one man. They captured and detained dozens of Bosniac women, children, and the elderly people in the elementary school Hasan Veletovac in Višegrad, which was transformed to a camp for Bosniacs. Serbs permanently tortured Bosniacs in that camp, and some even killed.

In August 1992, Serbs attacked the village of Barimo, burnt the entire village, and surfaced the village mosque. They killed 26 Bosniac civilians. The oldest victim, Hanka Halilović, was 92 years old and the youngest (Emir Bajrić) was 12 years old.

In addition to these massive and individual killing, slaughtering, and burning of innocent Bosniacs in Višegrad, whose number amounts to over 3,000 (more than 50 Bosniacs were killed in July 1995, in and around UN safe area Srebrenica), Serbs also massively raped Bosniac women and girls. One of the places where they raped them was the hotel Vilina vlas, which was transformed during the aggression into the camp for Bosniac women and girls. More than 300 Bosniac women were in that camp.

Serbs expelled the remaining surviving Bosniacs, and looted and burnt their property. All the mosques were surfaced.

ICTY filed the first indictment for the crimes in Višegrad against Milan and Sredoje Lukić in 1997. Criminal Milan Lukić, a leader of Beli orlovi, captured in Argentina in 2005 was sentenced to life imprisonment. Criminal Sredoje Lukić, a member of Beli orlovi (a police officer in Višegrad before the war), surrendered to the Republika Srpska authorities after more than a year of hiding in Russia. ICTY sentenced him to a prison term of 30 years. Criminal Momir Savić, a member of unidentified paramilitary unit during the engagement of the JNA Užice Corps, then the commander of the 3rd company of the Višegrad brigade of the Republika Srpska Army, was sentenced to prison term of 18 years by the Court of BiH Trial Judgment dated 3 July 2009. The defendant did not appear at the sentencing hearing. Court of BiH sentenced criminal Boban Šimšić to a prison term of 14 years; Željko Lelek to 13 years in prison; Novo Rajak to 14 years in prison; Nenad Tanasković to 8 years in prison. ICTY sentenced criminal Mitar Vasiljević for the crimes against humanity to 15 years in prison. Having served two-third of his sentence, he was released.

The Prosecutor’s Office of BiH is currently prosecuting Oliver Krsmanović, charged with crimes committed in Višegrad. The Prosecutor’s Office of BiH charged Krsmanović that he participated, together with other members of the Republika Srpska Army, in arresting eight men in the settlement of Dušće, near Višegrad ...., and aided in abetted in murders, rapes, and forcible disappearance of Bosniacs.

Unfortunately, numerous perpetrators of crimes against humanity and international law, including genocide, committed in the territory of the Višegrad municipality, have not yet been prosecuted.

Sources of scientific knowledge:
1.Institute for Research of Crimes against Humanity and International Law, University of Sarajevo
2.Institute for Research of Genocide, Canada
3.The International Criminal Tribunal for areas of the former Yugoslavia
4. The International Court of Justice