Cablegate: Human Rights Abuses in Bosnia-Hercegovina - Reported Rapes of Young Muslim Women

This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

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.

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CAVEAT
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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

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