Cablegate: Tfsrol: Severe Human Rights Abuses in Bosnia-

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 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
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REF: ZAGREB 0945 AND PREVIOUS

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INTRODUCTION
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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.

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WITNESS INFORMATION
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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.

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THE WITNESS'S ACCOUNT
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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
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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

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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

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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

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