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According to
the official results of the 1991 census, the Banja Luka district
had 195,139 residents:
29,033 Croats
(14,9%)
28,550 Moslems (14,6%)
106,878 Serbs (54,8%)
23,408 others (15,7%)
During the Serbian
aggression on the Republic of Croatia (1991), the Banja Luka district
became Serbia's and former YPA's logistic centre. The genocide against
Croats and Moslems (killings, evictions) has been intensely carried
out since April 1992. Although there has been no armed conflicts
in the Banja Luka district area, Croat and Moslem sacral, cultural
and historic heritage was systematically destroyed. The Serb occupying
authorities formed the Manjaca camp for prisoners of war in the
Banja Luka district area. However, besides prisoners of war, civilians
from the entire northwest Bosnia were detained in that camp. The
first prisoners were Croatian Army soldiers who were captured in
September 1991, after the Serb occupation of Hrvatska Kostajnica
(Republic of Croatia).
011 B-H - NORTHWESTERN BOSNIA - April 1, 1992 to August 25, 1993
DESCRIPTION
OF REPORTED CRIME: Forced displacement of the civilian population
(ethnic cleansing).
TIME AND LOCATION: April 1, 1992 to August 25, 1993, Republic of
Bosnia-Herzegovina (northwestern Bosnia).
SUMMARY OF REPORTED CRIME: In the period between April 1, 1992 and
August 25, 1993, illegal Serbian military and civilian authorities
in northwestern Bosnia forcibly displaced a large number civilians.
A group of displaced individuals from northwestern Bosnia moved
to the territory of the Republic of Croatia at the border crossing
between the Republic of Croatia and the Republic of Bosnia-Herzegovina
at Stara Gradiska. The registration of the displaced individuals
from northwestern Bosnia was completed at the Croatian checkpoint
in Stari Grabovac near Novska. Exactly 52,622 displaced individuals
were registered. The ethnic structure of the displaced civilians
is as follows:
Croatians 19,983
Muslims 32,627
Serbs 12
PERPETRATORS:
Illegal Serbian military and civilian authorities from northwestern
Bosnia.
SOURCE OF INFORMATION: Written report kept in the archives of the
Department.
B-H - LJUBIJA - July 24/25, 1992
DESCRIPTION
OF REPORTED CRIME: Mass killing of civilians.
TIME AND LOCATION:
July 24/25, 1992, the villages of Stara Rijeka, Brisevo, Raljas,
and Carakovo (south of Ljubija - northwestern Bosnia).
SUMMARY OF REPORTED CRIME: Two paramilitary brigades of the Banja
Luka Corps (5th Kozara Brigade from Prijedor, and 6th Krajina Brigade
from Sanski Most), along with the local Serb paramilitary formations,
launched an artillery and infantry attack on the Croatian villages
of Stara Rijeka, Brisevo, Raljas, and Carakovo. Over 3,000 well
armed Serbs participated in the attack. During the two day attack
73 Croatian civilians were killed (by firearms, knives, wooden clubs,
hanging, and burning to death). Information on victims and perpetrators
is available to the public.
PERPETRATORS:
Paramilitary formations of the so-called Serbian Army (Banja Luka
Corps: 5th Kozara Brigade from Prijedor, and 6th Krajina Brigade
from Sanski Most), armed Serb civilians from the surrounding villages
of Rasavci, Ostra Luka, Podvidaca, Batkovci, Miska Glava, Ljeskare,
Cikote, and Radomirovac.
EVIDENCE: Document currently kept in the archives of the Department.
016 B-H - LJUBIJA
- July 24, 1992
DESCRIPTION
OF REPORTED CRIME: Mass killings; infliction of serious bodily harm.
TIME AND LOCATION: July 24, 1992; 3:30 a.m.; the village of Brisevo
(cca 3 kilometres south of Ljubija).
SUMMARY OF REPORTED CRIME: At 3:30 a.m., a 120 mm mortar attack
was launched against the Croat-populated village of Brisevo. The
attack lasted until cca 5:00 p.m. Mortars were fired from four directions:
from the direction of the village of Ostra Luka (south of Brisevo);
from the direction of the village of Batkovci (west of Brisevo);
from the direction of the village of Rasavci (east of Brisevo),
and from the direction of the Ljubija iron ore mine at Redak (north
of Brisevo). Two women of Croatian nationality were killed by mortar
fragments. Between 5:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m., members of paramilitary
formations entered the village. The members of the so-called "6th
Krajina Brigade" came from the direction of the village of
Stara Rijeka, while members of the so-called "5th Kozara Brigade"
came from the direction of Ljubija and the village of Raljas. Shots
and cries could be heard in the village and did not cease until
7:00 p.m. the following evening, when members of Serb paramilitary
formations withdrew from the village. Several days later a witness
returned to the village, along with several other surviving Croatian
villagers, and saw a large number of corpses. The witness remembers
the locations where the following corpses were found, and causes
of the victims' deaths.
1. Milan Buzuk
(tortured, his eyes were gauged out, his ears were chopped off,
muscles on his arms and legs were severed, and his head was fractured
by a blunt object)
2. Ivica Buzuk (a bullet wound in the back of his head, and several
bullet wounds along the spinal area)
3. Mato Buzuk (several bullet wounds along the spinal area)
4. Ivo Atlija (many bullet wounds along the spinal area)
5. Pejo Dimac (many bullet wounds along the spinal area)
6. Ivica Mlinar (tortured, then killed by a turnpike, a shovel,
and a wooden club)
7. Luka Mlinar (born 1943, tortured, then killed by a turnpike,
a shovel and a wooden club)
8. Jerko Ivandic (tortured, then killed by a turnpike, a shovel,
and a wooden club)
9. Milan Ivandic (tortured, then killed by fire-arms)
10. Pejo Ivandic (tortured, then killed by fire-arms)
11. Stipo Ivandic (tortured, castrated, then killed by fire-arms)
12. Mara Marijan (her partly burnt body was found in the remains
of Stipo Dimac's burnt house)
13. Franjo Marijan (his partly burnt body was found in the remains
of Stipo Dimac's burnt house)
14. Stipo Dimac (his partly burnt body was found in the remains
of his burnt house)
15. Marko Buzuk (body found in a field, upper part of his body was
completely burnt)
16. Kaja Komljen (born Barisic, Ante's wife, her body was found
naked in a field, there was no sign of wounds by fire-arms, or sharp
objects, traces of human bites were visible on her breasts, certain
parts of her breasts were bitten off, she was raped and tortured
until she died)
17. Mara Matanovic (killed by fire-arms)
18. Zdravko Matanovic (brutally killed, his belly was sliced open,
and his arms were tied up with his intestines, he had bullet wounds
on both of his lower legs)
19. Fabijan Matanovic (his spine was fractured in two places as
a consequence of being beaten, his genitals were chopped off and
forced into his mouth)
20. Predrag Matanovic nicknamed "Pedjo" (he had bullet
wounds all over his body, and on the lower part of both his legs)
21. Ante Matanovic (Pejo's son, killed by fire-arms)
22. Ante Matanovic's younger son (killed by fire-arms)
23. Mladen Matanovic (killed by fire-arms)
24. Mladen Matanovic's elder son (killed by fire-arms)
25. Mladen Matanovic's younger son (killed by fire-arms)
26. Ante Lovric (killed by fire-arms)
27. Mato Buzuk (Vinko's son, killed by a knife)
28. Marija Buzuk (Mato's wife, hanged to death)
29. Markica Bujadilo (found dead near his house)
30. Kata Bujadilo (Markica's wife, found dead near her house)
31. and 32. two elderly persons (spouses) from the village of Raljas,
Radulovic nicknamed "Zuti" ("Yellow") from the
village of Zecovi set them to fire in their house)
33. Joso Lovric (invalid, found dead)
34. Ivo Lovric (found dead)
35. Srecko Buzuk (found dead)
36. Miroslav Buzuk (found dead)
37. Vlado Buzuk (found dead)
38. Ante Matanovic (Joso's son, found dead)
39. Jozo Jakara (found dead)
40. Andja nicknamed "Pranincina" (found dead)
41. Sreco Ivandic (found dead)
42. Danica Ivandic (Sreco's wife, found dead)
43. and 44. Sreco and Danica Ivandic's two sons (found dead)
45. Mara Ivandic (found dead)
46. Stipo Ivandic (Mara's husband, found dead)
47. Milka Marijan (Joso's wife, found dead)
48. Danica Marijan (Joso's daughter, found dead)
49. Zvonko Marijan (Joso's son, found dead)
50. Drago Marijan (Joso's son, found dead)
51. Luka Komljen (found dead)
52. Kaja Komljen (Luka's wife, found dead)
53. Ivo Komljen (Luka's son, found dead)
54. Ante Komljen (Luka's son, found dead)
55. Luka Mlinar (14 years old, Mato's son, found dead)
56. Lucija Ivandic (Pejo's wife, killed by shell fragments)
57. Mara Mlinar (70 years old, Mato's wife, killed by shell fragments)
58. Mirsad Svraka (14 years old, Muslim villager of Rizvanovici
or Carakovo, found dead).
PERPETRATORS:
Members of the following Serb paramilitary formations: the 6th Krajina
Brigade from Sanski Most, the 5th Kozara Brigade from Prijedor.
Colonel Basara, commander of the 6th Krajina Brigade, after the
Brisevo massacre he was promoted to general of the so-called Serbian
Army. Nedjeljko Rasula, president of the so-called Serb district
of Sanski Most, Colonel Basara's collaborator. Veljko Brajic, supervised
the Brisevo operation that turned into a massacre. The commander
of one of the battalions of the 6th Krajina Brigade was a man named
Andjelko, who was a lieutenant or captain by rank. Members of the
6th Krajina Brigade were Serbs from the village of Koprivna, Ostra
Luka, Rasavci, Zecovi, Nistavci, Usorci, along with other Serbs
from the Sanski Most district. Among the perpetrators, a witness
recognized the following individuals:
1. Drasko Topic
(22 years old) from the village of Ostra Luka
2. Novo Babic (Mladen's son) from the village of Rasavci
3. Dusan Babic (Mladen's son) from the village of Rasavci - the
witness is not sure of the perpetrator's first name
4. Bosko Vidicevic from the village of Ostra Luka
5. Borislav Vidicevic from the village of Ostra Luka
6. a man nicknamed "Thunder" from the village of Ostra
Luka
7. to 12. five persons named Rajlic from the village of Batkovci
13. Miroslav Strbac from the village of Rasavci
15. Pero Jevtic (Lazo's son) from the village of Rasavci
16. Stanoje (Lazo's son) from the village of Rasavci
17. Boro (Lazo's son) from the village of Rasavci
--- persons named Antonic from the village of Zecovi
--- persons named Radulovic from the village of Ostra Luka
--- persons named Mastikose from the village of Ostra Luka
The witness
does not know the names of the commanders of the Serb paramilitary
formation called the 5th Kozara Brigade from Prijedor. He only knows
that the members of this formation are Serbs from the villages of
Maricka, Jelicka, Omarska, Tomasica, and Busnovi, along with other
Serbs from the Prijedor districts.
EVIDENCE: Audio tape recording of an interview with a witness, supplemented
by the written statement currently kept in the archives of the Centre.
NOTE: At the end of August 1992, a month after the Brisevo massacre,
a delegation consisting of the representatives of both sides arrived
in the neighbouring village of Stara Rijeka. Members of the delegation
were as follows: Franjo Komarica, PhD., Bishop of the Banja Luka
Diocese (Catholic); dr Mile Anicic, head of the Caritas of the Banja
Luka Diocese; Nikola Gabelic, president of the Banja Luka HDZ (Banja
Luka branch of the Croatian Democratic Union); Vojo Kupresanin,
president of the Serb irregular authorities in Bosnia-Herzegovina;
Nedjeljko Rasula, president of the self-proclaimed Serbian District
of Sanski Most. The delegation spoke to the gathered Croat villagers
of Stara Rijeka, and other members of the audience of "good
Croat-Serb interethnic relations". The witness asked to speak
in front of the audience, and he presented the chronology of events
from May to the end of August 1992. Bishop Komarica and Anicic promised
to deliver humanitarian aid to the surviving villagers of Brisevo,
while Kupresanin and Rasula promised that no one was going to either
attack or loot the village. Kupresanin and Rasula described the
massacre that was committed on July 24 and 25, 1992, as the doing
of "a small group of irresponsible, unleashed individuals".
The witness asked whether two brigades could be defined as a small
group that disobeyed orders. No one could answer that question.
Vojo Kupresanin offered Croatian residents of the area south of
Ljubija to move to the villages of Biscani, Rizvanovici, and Hambarine
(northeast of Ljubija), but the Croats refused because they knew
that the Serbs evicted and/or killed the Muslim residents of those
villages. Croat villagers that were present at the gathering demanded
from Bishop Komarica to report to the UN about the position of Croats,
and that the UN representatives come to Ljubija.
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