Cablegate: Tfsrol: Severe Human Rights Abuses in B-H:

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

UNCLASSIFIED LIMITED OFFICIAL USE SECTION 01 OF 05 ZAGREB 00903

SIPDIS

AMEMBASSY LONDON
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AMEMBASSY BONN
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USMISSION USVIENNA
AMEMBASSY ANKARA
WHITEHOUSE WASHDC
USEC BRUSSELS
HQ JTF PP NAPLES IT//CA/POLAD//

LIMITED OFFICIAL USE SECTION 01 OF 05 ZAGREB 000930

VIENNA ALSO FOR BOSNIA

E.O. 12356: N/A
TAGS: PHUM PREL MOPS HR BK PREL MOPS HR BK PREL MOPS HR BK PREL MOPS HR BK PREL MOPS HR BK
SUBJECT: TFSROL: SEVERE HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES IN B-H:
EYEWITNESS ACCOUNT OF MURDERS, MISTREATMENT
OF CIVILIANS, AND OTHER ABUSES

REF: (A) ZAGREB 827; (B) ZAGREB 872; (C) ZAGREB 919

1. (U) SUMMARY: THIS IS ONE IN A SERIES OF REPORTS
(REFTELS) OF INTERVIEWS WITH WAR CRIMES VICTIMS
CONDUCTED IN LATE 1993 IN MAOCA, BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA,
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PAGE 03 ZAGREB 00930 01 OF 05 071400Z
BY A DART/ZAGREB FIELD REP AND AN AMCIT IRC REP WHILE
THEY WERE IN THE AREA ASSESSING HUMANITARIAN NEEDS.
THIS REPORT NAMES VICTIMS AND, IN SOME CASES,
PERPETRATORS AND DETAILS SPECIFIC CRIMES. END
SUMMARY.

-----------
THE WITNESS
-----------

2. (LOU) HASIB BEGIC IS A BOSNIAN MUSLIM FROM THE
BRCKO MUNICIPALITY. HE WAS BORN MAY 9, 1946, AND WAS
A CIVILIAN FACTORY FOREMAN AT THE TIME OF HIS ARREST
BY BOSNIAN SERB FORCES ON MAY 6, 1992. (NOTE: THE
WITNESS FREELY AGREED TO OPEN USE OF HIS NAME; FOR
CONSISTENCY, HOWEVER, WE HAVE IN THE FOLLOWING REPORT
REFERRED TO HIM AS "THE WITNESS." END NOTE.)

---------------------
THE WITNESS'S ACCOUNT
---------------------

3. (U) AT THE TIME OF HIS ARREST, THE WITNESS WAS
HIDING WITH NEIGHBORS IN HIS HOME. HE SAID SERB
NEIGHBORS WOULD WARN THEM WHEN "CETNIK" SOLDIERS WERE
NEARBY, BUT COULD NOT HELP THEM, BECAUSE THEY WERE
AFRAID OF THE SOLDIERS COMMANDED BY ARKAN AND CESA.
ON MAY 6, 1992, SERBIAN SOLDIERS CAME TO THE
WITNESS'S NEIGHBORHOOD WITH A TRUCK, SAYING THEY WERE
TO TAKE EVERYONE TO A FACTORY CALLED "LASER." AT
FIRST, THEY LOADED MEN, WOMEN, AND CHILDREN, BUT WHEN
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PAGE 04 ZAGREB 00930 01 OF 05 071400Z
IT BECAME APPARENT THERE WAS NOT ENOUGH ROOM FOR
EVERYONE, THEY HAD THE WOMEN AND CHILDREN GET OFF AND
TOOK ONLY THE MEN. THE MEN WERE TAKEN TO THE
RESTAURANT AT THE "LASER" FACTORY, WHERE THERE WERE
ALREADY ABOUT 200 MEN, WOMEN, AND CHILDREN. SERB
NEIGHBORS IN UNIFORM TOLD THEM THEY WOULD BE TAKEN TO
CELIC AND BREZOVO POLJE THE NEXT DAY. ON MAY 7, TWO
BUSES CAME BUT TOOK ONLY THE WOMEN, CHILDREN AND
ELDERLY. ONE BUS DEPARTED TOWARD CELIC AND THE OTHER
WENT IN THE DIRECTION OF BREZOVO POLJE. THE MEN WERE
TOLD THEY WOULD BE TRANSPORTED ON MAY 8.

4. (U) DURING THE NIGHT OF MAY 7, BETWEEN 8:00 AND
10:00 PM, TWO RUFFIANS FROM THE BAND OF THE NOTORIOUS
SERBIAN WAR CRIMINAL "ARKAN" -- GORAN (NICKNAMED
"ADOLF") AND "CUPO" (SO-CALLED BECAUSE OF HIS LONG
HAIR) -- TOGETHER WITH AN UNNAMED SERB FROM BRCKO,
CAME INTO THE RESTAURANT. GORAN ORDERED THE SERB
FROM BRCKO TO POINT HIS RIFLE AT THE PRISONERS AND

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------------------2CCFC8 072206Z /38
R 071352Z MAR 94
FM AMEMBASSY ZAGREB
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AMEMBASSY LONDON
AMEMBASSY LJUBLJANA
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CINCUSAFE RAMSTEIN AB GE//DO/LG/XP/IN/POLAD//
AMEMBASSY BUDAPEST
AMEMBASSY BRUSSELS
AMEMBASSY BONN
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USMISSION USVIENNA
AMEMBASSY ANKARA
WHITEHOUSE WASHDC
USEC BRUSSELS
HQ JTF PP NAPLES IT//CA/POLAD//

LIMITED OFFICIAL USE SECTION 02 OF 05 ZAGREB 000930

VIENNA ALSO FOR BOSNIA

E.O. 12356: N/A
TAGS: PHUM PREL MOPS HR BK PREL MOPS HR BK PREL MOPS HR BK PREL MOPS HR BK PREL MOPS HR BK
SUBJECT: TFSROL: SEVERE HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES IN B-H:
EYEWITNESS ACCOUNT OF MURDERS, MISTREATMENT
OF CIVILIANS, AND OTHER ABUSES

THEN BEGAN SWEARING AND HITTING THE TABLE WITH A
STICK. THE THREE THEN TOOK FOUR PRISONERS OUTSIDE,
BEAT THEM SEVERELY, AND STOLE THEIR VALUABLES. ONE
OF THOSE BEATEN WAS THE WITNESS'S NEIGHBOR FROM
BRCKO, OSMAN ZAHIROVIC. AFTER ABOUT 30 MINUTES, THE
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SERBS LEFT.

5. (U) ON MAY 8, THE MEN WERE GIVEN THE CHOICE OF
GOING TO CELIC OR BREZOVO POLJE. MOST CHOSE CELIC,
SINCE IT WAS IN FREE TERRITORY. THE BUS CAME TWICE.
THE WITNESS MANAGED TO BOARD THE BUS FOR THE SECOND
TRIP, BUT BECAME WORRIED WHEN THEY HEADED INTO BRCKO,
INSTEAD OF TOWARD CELIC. THE BUSES TOOK THEM TO THE
UKA WAREHOUSE AREA NEAR THE BRIDGE OVER THE SAVA
RIVER. THE WITNESS NOTICED ALL THE WINDOWS IN THE
WAREHOUSES HAD BEEN BLOWN OUT, HE ASSUMED AS A RESULT
OF DEMOLITION OF THE BRIDGE. AS THE DETAINEES GOT
OFF THE BUS, THE MEN WERE ORDERED TO THROW ALL
PERSONAL DOCUMENTS INTO A LARGE CRATE AT THE
ENTRANCE. THE WITNESS SAW THREE OR FOUR SERB
SOLDIERS AND A SERB GIRL. THE GIRL SAID SHE HAD BEEN
SHOT IN THE CHEST BY MUSLIMS, ALTHOUGH SHE LOOKED
PERFECTLY HEALTHY. THERE WERE ALREADY 600 TO 700
PRISONERS IN THE WAREHOUSES.

6. (U) ABOUT TWO HOURS LATER, GORAN ENTERED WITH
DOCUMENTS IN HIS HAND AND ANNOUNCED, "EVERYONE WHOSE
NAME I READ NOW WILL BE TAKEN TO BE SHOT." HE THEN
READ ABOUT 150 NAMES, ABOUT HALF OF THOSE IN THE
WAREHOUSE. THEN, LAUGHING, HE ANNOUNCED THEY WERE
NOT TO BE SHOT BUT WERE TO BE SENT HOME. THOSE WHOSE
NAMES HE READ WERE THEN RELEASED.

7. (U) A SHORT TIME LATER, GORAN DISCOVERED THE
IDENTIFICATION CARDS OF TWO YOUNG MEN WHO WERE NOT
FROM THE BRCKO AREA. HE ASKED THEM WHY THEY WERE IN
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PAGE 04 ZAGREB 00930 02 OF 05 071401Z
BRCKO, AND THEY REPLIED THAT THEY WERE VISITING
FRIENDS. GORAN SHOUTED, "YOU CAME TO FIGHT AGAINST
US." HE TOOK THE TWO MEN OUTSIDE AND SHOT THEM.

8. (U) ON THE FOURTH DAY, THE WITNESS WAS INCLUDED
IN A GROUP THAT WAS TO BE RELEASED, BUT THE SOLDIERS
SAID THEY HAD RUN OUT OF THE PROPER FORMS, SO HE WAS
MOVED TO ANOTHER WAREHOUSE AT LUKA.

9. (U) THE WITNESS SAID THAT BETWEEN MAY 8-18
DETAINEES, MOSTLY YOUNGER MEN, WERE SELECTED AT
RANDOM, LINED UP AGAINST A WALL AND SHOT. ON MAY 9,
GORAN ("ADOLF") BROUGHT IN A VERY FAT MAN, ALLEGEDLY
A CROAT CAPTURED IN BRCKO. THE MAN'S RIGHT EAR HAD
BEEN CUT OFF, HE WAS CARRYING IT IN HIS RIGHT HAND.
HE HAD A HANDKERCHIEF IN HIS LEFT HAND WITH WHICH HE
WAS WIPING BLOOD OFF HIS HEAD. GORAN ORDERED THE MAN
TO SQUAT AND ASKED THE PRISONERS WHICH OF THEM WAS
WILLING TO KILL HIM, PROFFERING A LARGE PISTOL. NO

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ACTION SS-00

INFO LOG-00 AID-01 AMAD-01 CIAE-00 C-01 OASY-00 DOEE-00
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PA-01 PM-01 PRS-01 P-01 RPCS-01 SB-00 SCT-03
SNP-00 SP-00 SR-00 SSO-00 STR-01 TRSE-00 T-00
RPE-01 SNIS-00 NISC-02 PMB-00 /049W
------------------2CCFDC 072206Z /38
R 071352Z MAR 94
FM AMEMBASSY ZAGREB
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 1100
INFO AMCONSUL MUNICH
USMISSION USNATO
CINCUSNAVEUR LONDON UK//N2/N22//
COM SIXTHFLT//N2//
AMEMBASSY VIENNA
JOINT STAFF WASHDC//J5-PMA/J2I//
USMISSION USUN NEW YORK
USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE//ECJ3/ECJ4/ECJ5/ECPOLAD//
USIA WASHDC 4313
SECDEF WASHDC//ISA/ISP//
CINCUSAREUR HEIDELBERG GE//J3/J4/J5/POLAD//
USMISSION GENEVA
AMEMBASSY ROME
AMEMBASSY PARIS
AMEMBASSY OTTAWA
AMEMBASSY MOSCOW
AMEMBASSY MADRID
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AMEMBASSY LONDON
AMEMBASSY LJUBLJANA
AMEMBASSY THE HAGUE
CINCUSAFE RAMSTEIN AB GE//DO/LG/XP/IN/POLAD//
AMEMBASSY BUDAPEST
AMEMBASSY BRUSSELS
AMEMBASSY BONN
AMEMBASSY BELGRADE
AMEMBASSY ATHENS
USMISSION USVIENNA
AMEMBASSY ANKARA
WHITEHOUSE WASHDC
USEC BRUSSELS
HQ JTF PP NAPLES IT//CA/POLAD//

LIMITED OFFICIAL USE SECTION 03 OF 05 ZAGREB 000930

VIENNA ALSO FOR BOSNIA

E.O. 12356: N/A
TAGS: PHUM PREL MOPS HR BK PREL MOPS HR BK PREL MOPS HR BK PREL MOPS HR BK PREL MOPS HR BK
SUBJECT: TFSROL: SEVERE HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES IN B-H:
EYEWITNESS ACCOUNT OF MURDERS, MISTREATMENT
OF CIVILIANS, AND OTHER ABUSES

ONE ACCEPTED. THE MAN BEGAN BEGGING THE PRISONERS TO
KILL HIM SAYING, "DON'T LET THE 'CETNIKS' KILL ME."
ALL REFUSED. CALLING THEM ALL COWARDS, GORAN STARTED
PUSHING THE FAT MAN OUT THE DOOR. A SERB SOLDIER AT
THE DOOR HIT THE MAN IN THE BACK WITH A DULL SWORD
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AND HE FELL. NEXT, THE WITNESS HEARD TWO SHOTS,
WHEREAFTER THE "CETNIKS ASKED FOR FOUR VOLUNTEERS TO
REMOVE THE BODY.
-
10. (U) THE CORPSES OF MURDERED DETAINEES WERE TAKEN
TO TWO LOCATIONS IN LUKA, THE WITNESS SAID. ONE WAS
A SHED NEAR THE ENTRANCE TO THE TOWN. TRUCKS WOULD
COME TO REMOVE THESE BODIES DURING THE NIGHT. THE
WITNESS HIMSELF CARRIED TWO BODIES TO THIS SHED ON
MAY 10 OR 11, HELPED BY HIS NEIGHBOR, EDHEM RIBIC.
DETAINEE WORKING PARTIES WERE ALWAYS ACCOMPANIED BY
SERB GUARDS. THERE WERE ALREADY FIVE OR SIX BODIES
IN THE SHED, HE SAID. THE OTHER PLACE WAS ALONG THE
RAILWAY TRACK NEAR THE WAREHOUSES. BODIES COLLECTED
THERE WERE LATER THROWN INTO THE SAVA RIVER. THE
WITNESS HELPED THREE OTHER PRISONERS CARRY ONE BODY
TO THE SECOND COLLECTION POINT, ALSO ON MAY 10 OR
11. THERE WERE ALREADY TWO BODIES THERE. ONE WAS
STILL ALIVE AND GROANING. THE OTHER THREE DETAINEES
WERE SENT BACK TO THE WAREHOUSE, BUT THE WITNESS WAS
KEPT BEHIND WITH A BUCKET TO CLEAN UP THE BLOOD.
WHILE HE WAS DOING THIS, ANOTHER BODY WAS CARRIED IN
AND HE WAS ORDERED TO CLEAN UP THE BLOOD FROM THAT
ONE AS WELL.

11. (U) ONE NIGHT THE SOLDIERS PAIRED OFF THE
YOUNGER AND OLDER MEN AND FORCED THEM TO PUNCH EACH
OTHER. A SERB SOLDIER STOOD BEHIND EACH PRISONER TO
MAKE SURE THEY PUNCHED HARD. WHEN IT BECAME APPARENT
THEY WOULD BE BEATEN NO MATTER WHAT THEY DID, THE
WITNESS REFUSED TO PUNCH HARD. EVENTUALLY, HE
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FAINTED. HE WAS LATER TOLD THIS WENT ON FOR
ONE-AND-A-HALF HOURS.

12. (U) AT NIGHT "SOLDIERS" FROM ARKAN'S AND CESA'S
GROUPS WOULD REGULARLY ENTER THE WAREHOUSE, AND BY
THE GLARE OF AUTOMOBILE HEADLIGHTS WOULD SELECT AND
BEAT MEN. THE VICTIMS WERE TAKEN OUT IN GROUPS;
LATER THEY WOULD CALL FOR FOUR MEN TO CARRY THE
BODIES AWAY. OFTEN ONLY THRE
E OF THE FOUR
"VOLUNTEERS" WOULD RETURN, HE SAID, THE OTHER HAVING
BEEN KILLED.

13. (U) ON MAY 12, "ADOLF" ASKED FOR A VOLUNTEER TO
CLEAN HIS OFFICE. THE WITNESS VOLUNTEERED. HE
CLEANED UP THE REMAINS OF A MEAL AND WAS ABOUT TO
LEAVE WHEN THE SERB BROUGHT TWO YOUNG MEN TO THE
FRONT (OUTSIDE) OF THE OFFICE. HE HAD ONE LIE DOWN
WITH HIS HEAD OVER THE DRAIN PIPE; PLACING HIS FOOT

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INFO LOG-00 AID-01 AMAD-01 CIAE-00 C-01 OASY-00 DOEE-00
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SNP-00 SP-00 SR-00 SSO-00 STR-01 TRSE-00 T-00
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------------------2CCFED 072207Z /38
R 071352Z MAR 94
FM AMEMBASSY ZAGREB
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 1101
INFO AMCONSUL MUNICH
USMISSION USNATO
CINCUSNAVEUR LONDON UK//N2/N22//
COM SIXTHFLT//N2//
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USMISSION USUN NEW YORK
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USIA WASHDC 4314
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CINCUSAREUR HEIDELBERG GE//J3/J4/J5/POLAD//
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AMEMBASSY ROME
AMEMBASSY PARIS
AMEMBASSY OTTAWA
AMEMBASSY MOSCOW
AMEMBASSY MADRID
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AMEMBASSY LONDON
AMEMBASSY LJUBLJANA
AMEMBASSY THE HAGUE
CINCUSAFE RAMSTEIN AB GE//DO/LG/XP/IN/POLAD//
AMEMBASSY BUDAPEST
AMEMBASSY BRUSSELS
AMEMBASSY BONN
AMEMBASSY BELGRADE
AMEMBASSY ATHENS
USMISSION USVIENNA
AMEMBASSY ANKARA
WHITEHOUSE WASHDC
USEC BRUSSELS
HQ JTF PP NAPLES IT//CA/POLAD//

LIMITED OFFICIAL USE SECTION 04 OF 05 ZAGREB 000930

VIENNA ALSO FOR BOSNIA

E.O. 12356: N/A
TAGS: PHUM PREL MOPS HR BK PREL MOPS HR BK PREL MOPS HR BK PREL MOPS HR BK PREL MOPS HR BK
SUBJECT: TFSROL: SEVERE HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES IN B-H:
EYEWITNESS ACCOUNT OF MURDERS, MISTREATMENT
OF CIVILIANS, AND OTHER ABUSES

ON THE MAN'S NECK, GORAN SHOT HIM TWICE IN THE HEAD.
THEN HE DID THE SAME WITH THE SECOND. GORAN THEN
SAID TO THE WITNESS, "WE WON'T KILL YOU. GO BACK TO
THE WAREHOUSE." THE WITNESS SAID "ADOLF" ALSO TOLD
HIM THAT HE HAD KILLED 88 PEOPLE, AND "PLANNED TO
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KILL MORE." UNTIL MAY 18, GORIC SAID, THE "CETNIKS"
WOULD ALWAYS CLAIM THAT THOSE WHO WERE SUMMARILY
EXECUTED OR KILLED BY THESE BEATINGS HAD BEEN "SHOT
BY SNIPERS."

14. (LOU) THE WITNESS CREDITS ONE SERB, A "MAJOR
VOJKAN" (STRICTLY PROTECT), WITH SAVING MANY
PRISONERS' LIVES AT THE LUKA WAREHOUSE. THIS SERB
OFFICER TOLD THE PRISONERS HE FELT SORRY FOR THE
MUSLIMS AND CROATS AND WOULD FIGHT TO TRY TO PROTECT
THEM AND "EVEN DIE WITH THEM IF NECESSARY." WHENEVER
HE WAS IN CHARGE, NO ONE FROM ARKAN OR CESA'S GROUPS
WAS ALLOWED TO ENTER THE WAREHOUSE. THIS OFFICER WAS
LATER REMOVED FROM BEING IN CHARGE, BUT TOLD THE
PRISONERS HE WOULD CONTINUE TO CHECK ON THEM. HE
DID, INDEED, COME TO VISIT EVERY THREE TO FOUR DAYS.

15. (U) ON MAY 18, MAJOR VOJKAN, GORAN ("ADOLF") AND
A "CAPTAIN WITH BLACK HAIR" ASSEMBLED THE WAREHOUSE
DETAINEES AND READ THEM A DECREE. IT SAID THAT
CROATIA AND THE WORLD HAD HEARD WHAT WAS GOING ON AT
LUKA AND THAT THERE WOULD BE NO MORE KILLINGS. THE
DETAINEES WOULD, HOWEVER, CONTINUE TO BE BEATEN. FOR
THE REST OF THE TIME THE WITNESS WAS AT LUKA, THERE
WERE NO MORE KILLINGS. HE WORKED MOST DAYS,
PRIMARILY CLEANING BARRACKS, APARTMENTS, AND HOSPITAL
ROOMS. CERTAIN INDIVIDUALS WERE STILL REGULARLY
BEATEN AT NIGHT.

16. (LOU) ON JUNE 23, THE WITNESS WAS TAKEN FROM
LUKA BY AN ETHNIC CROAT NAMED IVICA STANJEC (STRICTLY
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PROTECT), THE CANTEEN MANAGER AT HIS FACTORY
"BIMAL." THIS MAN'S WIFE WAS A SERB, SO HE WAS
ALLOWED TO GO HOME AND TO TAKE ONE OLDER PRISONER
WITH HIM. HE TOOK THE WITNESS TO HIS APARTMENT IN
THE "S" SETTLEMENT. AFTER 10 OR 12 DAYS, THE WITNESS
AND A FRIEND WERE ABLE TO ARRANGE SHELTER WITH
ANOTHER FRIEND IN GRCICA WHERE THEY REMAINED UNTIL
JULY 14.

17. (U) ON JULY 14, TWO LOCAL SERB SOLDIERS CAME TO
THE WITNESS'S FRIEND'S HOUSE AND TOLD THE MEN TO GET
ON A BUS. THEY WERE TOLD NOT TO TAKE ANYTHING,
BECAUSE THEY WOULD "BE COMING BACK IN 15 MINUTES."
THERE WERE ONLY CROAT AND MUSLIM MEN ON THE BUS AND,
ONCE ON BOARD, THEY WERE TOLD THEY WERE BEING TAKEN
TO WORK AT THE "INTERPLET" CLOTHING FACTORY IN
BIJELJINA. WHEN THE BUSES GOT TO BIJELJINA, HOWEVER,
THEY KEPT ON GOING TO BATKOVIC.

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ACTION SS-00

INFO LOG-00 AID-01 AMAD-01 CIAE-00 C-01 OASY-00 DOEE-00
EB-01 EUR-01 HA-09 H-01 IMMC-01 TEDE-00 INR-00
IO-16 LAB-01 L-01 ADS-00 NSAE-00 OIC-02 OMB-01
PA-01 PM-01 PRS-01 P-01 RPCS-01 SB-00 SCT-03
SNP-00 SP-00 SR-00 SSO-00 STR-01 TRSE-00 T-00
RPE-01 SNIS-00 NISC-02 PMB-00 /049W
------------------2CCFF9 072208Z /38
R 071352Z MAR 94
FM AMEMBASSY ZAGREB
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 1102
INFO AMCONSUL MUNICH
USMISSION USNATO
CINCUSNAVEUR LONDON UK//N2/N22//
COM SIXTHFLT//N2//
AMEMBASSY VIENNA
JOINT STAFF WASHDC//J5-PMA/J2I//
USMISSION USUN NEW YORK
USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE//ECJ3/ECJ4/ECJ5/ECPOLAD//
USIA WASHDC 4315
SECDEF WASHDC//ISA/ISP//
CINCUSAREUR HEIDELBERG GE//J3/J4/J5/POLAD//
USMISSION GENEVA
AMEMBASSY ROME
AMEMBASSY PARIS
AMEMBASSY OTTAWA
AMEMBASSY MOSCOW
AMEMBASSY MADRID
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AMEMBASSY LONDON
AMEMBASSY LJUBLJANA
AMEMBASSY THE HAGUE
CINCUSAFE RAMSTEIN AB GE//DO/LG/XP/IN/POLAD//
AMEMBASSY BUDAPEST
AMEMBASSY BRUSSELS
AMEMBASSY BONN
AMEMBASSY BELGRADE
AMEMBASSY ATHENS
USMISSION USVIENNA
AMEMBASSY ANKARA
WHITEHOUSE WASHDC
USEC BRUSSELS
HQ JTF PP NAPLES IT//CA/POLAD//

LIMITED OFFICIAL USE SECTION 05 OF 05 ZAGREB 000930

VIENNA ALSO FOR BOSNIA

E.O. 12356: N/A
TAGS: PHUM PREL MOPS HR BK PREL MOPS HR BK PREL MOPS HR BK PREL MOPS HR BK PREL MOPS HR BK
SUBJECT: TFSROL: SEVERE HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES IN B-H:
EYEWITNESS ACCOUNT OF MURDERS, MISTREATMENT
OF CIVILIANS, AND OTHER ABUSES

18. (U) UPON DISEMBARKING, THE PRISONERS HAD TO RUN
BETWEEN TWO ROWS OF "CETNIKS" WHO BEAT THEM WITH
CLUBS AND RIFLES. THERE WERE NO SHOOTING DEATHS AT
THIS CAMP, BUT SOME DIED AS THE RESULT OF BEATINGS.
THE WITNESS KNEW FOR CERTAIN OF TWO: A JEWELER AND A
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BUTCHER FROM BIJELJINA. THE PRISONERS WORKED EVERY
DAY AND TRIED TO BE SELECTED TO WORK FOR LOCAL MEN,
BECAUSE THEY FED THEM WELL. MANY OF THE LOCAL PEOPLE
WERE VERY SYMPATHETIC TO THE PRISONERS AND SAID THEY
WERE UNHAPPY ABOUT WHAT ARKAN'S AND CESA'S SOLDIERS
HAD DONE.

19. (U) THE WORST ABUSERS AT THE CAMP, BEGIC SAID,
WERE A SERB NAMED GLIGOR AND TWO PRISONERS: FIKRET
(AKA PIKLIC) AND "SPAJZER" (NFI) FROM ZENICA. THE
WITNESS WAS MORE AFRAID OF THE LATTER TWO THAN OF THE
SERBS.

20. (U) WHEN THE ICRC CAME TO BATKOVIC, THE SERBS
WOULD HIDE THE YOUNGEST AND OLDEST PRISONERS. THEY
WOULD ALSO HIDE A GROUP OF ABOUT EIGHT PRISONERS WHO
WERE BEATEN EVERY DAY. THIS GROUP INCLUDED A "GREEN
BERET" FROM TUZLA, A MAN FROM BIJELJINA THEY ACCUSED
OF BEING A SOLDIER, A BUTCHER FROM BIJELJINA, A CROAT
NAMED ANDRIJA, AND A MAN WHO HAD ESCAPED AND
BEEN
RECAPTURED. DETAINEES HAD TO LIE TO THE ICRC ABOUT
THEIR TREATMENT, BECAUSE SERB INFORMERS HAD
INFILTRATED THE PRISON POPULATION.

21. (U) ON OCTOBER 13, 1992, THE WITNESS WAS
RELEASED FROM BATKOVIC IN A REGULAR PRISONER
EXCHANGE. THE LARGEST NUMBER OF PRISONERS AT
BATKOVIC DURING HIS TIME THERE WAS AROUND 1,600.
THERE WERE STILL 500 TO 600 WHEN HE LEFT.

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