MOSTAR

According to the official results of the 1991 census, the Mostar district had 126,067 residents:

42,648 Croats (33,8%)
43,931 Moslems (34,8%)
23,909 Serbs (19,0%)
15,579 others (12,4%)

During the Serbian aggression, in the period between January and May 20th 1992, the urbicide was committed against the city of Mostar, during which time nine bridges were destroyed as follows:

May 24th 1992 - the Port Bridge;
May 29th/30th 1992 - the Bridge of Tzar Franz Joseph (or Tito's Bridge);
June 11th 1992 - the Customs Bridge, the Railway Bridge in Rastani and the Bridge of Hasan Brkic;
June 12th 1992 - the Aviation Bridge in the southern section of the city;

the following bridges were also destroyed prior to June 15th: the bridge in Vojno (northern suburb), the Railway Bridge in Bacevici and the bridge in Bijela.

The only remaining bridge was the Old Bridge which sustained severe damage during the shellings of the Serb forces.

All churches and almost all mosques were destroyed. The government, administrative and judicial buildings were either severely damaged or destroyed. The entire housing developments of the old city structure were brutally destroyed, while the new urban structure sustained severe damage. The industrial zone around the city was systematically destroyed, set on fire and looted. The entire infrastructure, communication and social networks were terribly damaged and/or destroyed. The entire city horticulture was devastated, the woods were burnt down, and the city parks turned into cemeteries.

After the liberation in October 1992, two mass graves were found with more than a hundred bodies of murdered civilians.

In May 1993, many Croat civilians and HVO soldiers were either killed or imprisoned in the camps ("4th Primary School" camp, "Bijelo Polje" and "SDK building") during the clashes between B-H Army and HVO soldiers.

During the artillery clashes on November 8th and 9th 1993, the last of the Mostar's bridges - Stari Most (the Old Bridge) - was destroyed. The destruction ceased after the B-H Federation

Agreement had been signed on May 8th 1994.

B-H - POTOCI - MOSTAR DISTRICT - May 27, 1992

DESCRIPTION OF REPORTED CRIME: Internment of civilians to a concentration camp.

TIME AND LOCATION: May 27, 1992; Potoci (9 kilometres north of Mostar).

SUMMARY OF REPORTED CRIME: YPA soldiers arrested 15 Croat civilians from Potoci. They were taken to a stadium in Vrapcici. There were other captured civilians in the locker rooms. On June 5, 1992, the Yugoslav Peoples' Army (YPA) had 43 prisoners taken to a concentration camp in Bileca. On June 25, 1992, the YPA released 43 prisoners from Bileca in exchange for the bodies of three YPA soldiers.

PERPETRATORS: YPA soldiers.

VIDENCE: Audio tape recording of an interview with a witness, supplemented by a written statement currently kept in the archives of the Department.

001 B-H - MOSTAR - June 30th, 1993

DESCRIPTION OF REPORTED CRIME: Simulated co-operation as to attack and imprison.

TIME AND LOCATION: June 30th, 1993, 2:30 a. m.; Bijelo Polje (northeastern section of Mostar).

SUMMARY OF REPORTED CRIME: "I was the commander of a HVO military police platoon which was stationed in Bijelo Polje (section of Mostar). My platoon was manned by 50 soldiers, both Croats and Muslims. We controlled front lines towards Serb positions. All Muslims in the villages of Vrapcici and Bijelo Polje were in the HVO at the time. In Bijelo Polje, there was even 1 Croat HVO soldier on 5 or 10 Muslim HVO soldiers. We and local Muslims knew each other for years (even 20 or 30) and were good friends, even godfathers. We lived with them and trusted them until June 30th,1993. On June 30th, 1993, in the early morning hours (between 2:30 a. m. and 3:00 a. m.) HVO soldiers of Muslim nationality turned their arms against HVO soldiers of Croat nationality. They told us: 'Drop your arms, you are surrounded by Muslim Army, Zuka's men are around us. Something is fishy about the politics, but you will be released in a few days, when things settle down.' Since Croat HVO soldiers stood no chance due to encirclement, they had to surrender. When they captured us, we were detained in the basement of Boro Zovko's house in Bijelo Polje. We were held there until that afternoon (June 30th, 1993), and then we were transferred by bus to a newly opened prison in the building of the former "4th primary school" in Mostar (on the left bank of the Neretva River). Right away they put us into a cellar room where there were 115 of us. The room was 45m2 large, with the dimensions 7.5x6x2.2 m. There was only one window (80x80 cm), half covered by sheet metal. I fell asleep around midnight (June 30th, 1993) but woke up 20 minutes later due to lack of air. Like other prisoners, I tried to get as close to the window as I could in order to inhale some fresh air. Next morning (July 1st, 1993), B-H Army soldiers lined us up against the wall and cursed us ('You ustasha m...f...s! You won't get out of here alive!') They beat and kicked us. They forced us to strip and they took our chainlets, rings and watches, as well as our I. D.'s, car and apartment keys. They especially expressed their hatred towards our rosaries which they literally tore from our necks and threw on the ground. They looted and destroyed all that was sacred to us. I was one of the first prisoners who were particularly badly beaten in the camp. I witnessed the suffering of other prisoners. They would leave some Muslim music blare from the radio in the evening, then a guard would come into the cell and pointed at several prisoners. Those prisoners had to get out of the room and into the corridor. We who remained in the cell heard screams, blows, curses. This horror lasted an hour or two, sometimes even three. After that the prisoners returned to the cell badly beaten and covered with blood. We clearly saw the signs of brutal physical maltreatment on them."

PERPETRATORS: B-H Army soldiers who were members of the HVO forces in Bijelo Polje and Vrapcici (sections of Mostar) until June 30th, 1993.

EVIDENCE: Audio tape recording of an interview with a witness, supplemented by a written account, currently kept in the archives of the Centre.

002 B-H - MOSTAR - July 15, 1993

DESCRIPTION OF REPORTED CRIME: Mass killings of civilians.

TIME AND LOCATION: July 15, 1993; the locksmith's and plumbing enterprise "Soko" in Mostar.

SUMMARY OF REPORTED CRIME: B-H Army soldiers forced a group of 16 Croat civilians to climb the tin roof of the building of the locksmith's and plumbing enterprise "Soko" in Mostar. When the civilians climbed the roof, B-H Army soldiers set the building on fire. The civilians burned to death before HVO soldiers who were stationed along the demarcation line in Mostar, and who were denied access to the building by the B-H Army soldiers.

PERPETRATORS: B-H Army soldiers who were stationed in Mostar in July.

SOURCE OF INFORMATION: Report of the Department for Human Rights and Humanitarian Questions at the Office of the President of the Croat Republic of Herzeg-Bosnia from November 7, 1993. Document currently kept in the archives of the Centre.

008 B-H - MOSTAR - September 3, 1993

DESCRIPTION OF REPORTED CRIME: Attack on civilians, murder.

TIME AND LOCATION: September 3, 1993, 2:00 pm, suburb of Balinovac (west Mostar).

SUMMARY OF REPORTED CRIME: On September 3, 1993, shortly after 2:00 pm, members of MOS (Muslim Armed Forces which constitute an integral part of the B-H Army) launched a mortar attack on the suburb of Balinovac. They fired 15 mortar shells on this residential area. As a result, 4 adults were killed and one child, and 18 people were wounded, including 7 children from the ages of 4 to 11. Members of the UNPROFOR are stationed in that section of the city (near the streets of Ricina and Bulevar) from where Muslim forces launched the mortar attack.

PERPETRATORS: Members of MOS (Muslim Armed Forces which constitute an integral part of the B-H Army).

SOURCE OF INFORMATION: Newspaper article in "Vjesnik", September 4, 1993, page 40, titled: "Murder in Balinovac". Document currently kept in the archives of the Department.

006 B-H - MOSTAR - September 3, 1993

DESCRIPTION OF REPORTED CRIME: Attack on civilians; wounding and killing of civilians.

TIME AND LOCATION: September 3, 1993; 2:00 p.m., Hacamovi Street, and Pavo Miletic Street (Mostar).

SUMMARY OF REPORTED CRIME: B-H Army members launched a heavy artillery and mortar attack on the Croat and Muslim sections of Mostar (Hacamovi Street, and Pavo Miletic's Street) from the section of Mostar which is under their control (the area on the left bank of the Neretva River). The following civilians were killed by shell fragments: Kata Pehar (born 1928, Croat), Vencel Vidacek (born 1930, Croat), Lejla Hujdur (born 1980, Muslim), Stanko Cvitkovic (born 1940, Croat), and Mensur Cican (born 1964, Muslim). 20 civilians were wounded (12 Croats and 8 Muslims). All killed and wounded persons were taken to the Military Hospital in Mostar.

PERPETRATORS: B-H Army members from the left bank of the Neretva River.

SOURCE OF INFORMATION: Report no. 01-11/93 from September 17, 1993, issued by the Centre for Human Rights - Medjugorje, currently kept in the archives of the Centre.

NOTE: Military observers from Medjugorje, and representatives of the UN Spanish Battalion stationed in Medjugorje, inspected the scene of the crime, the Military Hospital in Mostar, and the Mostar morgue. Therefore, they obtained data and documented evidence about the tragic incident.

004 B-H - MOSTAR - September 20th 1993

DESCRIPTION OF REPORTED CRIME: Killing of civilians.

TIME AND LOCATION: September 20th, 1993, 5:20 a. m.; Rodoc (section of Mostar).

SUMMARY OF REPORTED CRIME: On September 20th, 1993, 5:20 a. m., B-H Army soldiers launched an attack on the south HVO controlled section of Mostar. They attacked Rodoc, and Stotine and Kolonija districts. Six civilians were killed during the attack:

1. Toni Bozic (born 1968) - mentally ill, found dead near buildings in the Kolonija district that was occupied in this attack by B-H Army soldiers, shot point-blank by a machine gun;
2. Pero Grubisic (born 1930) - killed in front of his house by a B-H Army sniper located on the Visnjica hill, around 8:00 a. m.;
3. Huso Isic (65 years old) - Muslim, seriously ill, found dead in his apartment, in the building temporarily occupied by B-H Army soldiers, shot point-blank by a machine gun; 4. Tomislav Jovanovic (born 1926) - killed by a mortar in front of his house in Podhum;
5. Iva Kostro (born 1926) - killed by a sniper, found lying near Biserka Miletic's body;
6. Biserka Miletic (born 1941) - wounded in the leg by a sniper fired from Visnjica, around 9:00 a. m., she was left lying on the street, some hundred metres away from her house, in the direction of Kolonija. While her son (a HVO soldier) was trying to save her, B-H Army snipers shot him in the belly, and killed her. During the attack, B-H Army soldiers temporarily occupied one section of Kolonija and took away four persons, whose whereabouts has been unknown since then. Those persons were as follows:

1. Ramo Crnomerovic nicknamed "Cazim" (born 1964) - wounded-disabled, a HVO soldier, Huso Isic's cousin and adopted son, the witnesses believe that the B-H Army soldiers killed him and dumped his body under the "Hasan Brkic" bridge; there is still no access to the bridge;
2. Zlatko Isic (born 1956) - Muslim, HVO soldier, Huso Isic's son;
3. Dijana Paca (born 1972) - daughter of Samija Paca's widow (Muslim);
4. Denis Paca (born 1975) - son of Samija Paca's widow (Muslim).

PERPETRATORS: B-H Army soldiers.

SOURCE OF INFORMATION: Report no. 01-15/93, Centre for Human Rights in Medjugorje, currently kept in the archives of the Centre.

002 B-H - MOSTAR - February 1, 1994

DESCRIPTION OF REPORTED CRIME: Attack on civilians; killing of civilians; infliction of bodily harm.

TIME AND LOCATION: January 23, 1994; 1:35 p. m.; Mostar.

SUMMARY OF REPORTED CRIME: Four children were killed, and another two children and an elderly woman were wounded on January 23, 1994, 1:35 p. m., in an artillery attack launched by B-H Army from the east part of Mostar on the HVO controlled west part of Mostar. The following children were killed by shell fragments: Damir and Ramiz Rizvan (brothers); Emir Meskic and his sister Amela. The wounded children were as follows: Adnan Music and Olja Bojanic (children) and the elderly woman Milica Orlovic. The wounded persons were taken to the Mostar hospital where they received medical aid. The representatives of the UNPROFOR investigated the scene of the crime.

PERPETRATORS: B-H Army soldiers stationed in the east part of Mostar.

SOURCE OF INFORMATION: January 24, 1994 issue of "Vecernji List" daily, p. 9. Title: "Poginulo cetvero djece" ("Four Children Got Killed"). Document currently kept in the archives of the Centre.