Massacre in Grabovica

Massacre in Grabovica
Part of the Bosnian War
Location	Grabovica, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Date	8–9 September 1993
Target	Croats
Attack type	Mass murder
Deaths	13–35
Perpetrators	Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina (ARBiH)

Bosnian War

The Massacre in Grabovica was a war crime committed against at least 13,^[1] and as many as 35^[2]^[3] Croatian inhabitants of the village of Grabovica near Jablanica by members of the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina (ARBiH) 9th Brigade and other unidentified members of ARBiH on 8 or 9 September 1993.

Background

Main article: Croat-Bosniak war

In order to conduct combat operations in Herzegovina to lift the HVO blockade of Mostar, units of the 9th Brigade, the 10th Brigade and the 2nd Independent Battalion, all subordinated to the ARBiH 1st Corps, were sent from Sarajevo to the Jablanica sector during Operation Neretva '93 of the ARBiH. This was the area where Grabovica was situated and it was at the time the area of responsibility of the 6th Corps. The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) found that those units were deployed to Herzegovina following an order issued by Sefer Halilović.^[4]

Murders

Grabovica

Location of Grabovica in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Grabovica was a village inhabited by Croats. It had been under ARBiH control since May 1993 and the relationship between the residents of Grabovica and the ARBiH soldiers who were stationed there was good and, as there was no other accommodation available for the arriving troops, they were supposed to be posted with the inhabitants of the village. The reputation of the arriving troops of the 9th and 10th Brigades was bad, because of "criminal and uncontrolled" elements within. According to ICTY, the evidence showed that members of both brigades not only demonstrated a lack of discipline, but also committed different forms of misappropriation (thefts etc.) The Trial Chamber noted in this respect the testimony of the 1st Corps Commander Vahid Karavelić who, while knowing of breaches of discipline and previous behaviour of members of these brigades, said that it never occurred to him that they might commit atrocities against civilians in Grabovica.^[5]

With the arrival of the unit of the 9th Brigade the atmosphere in the village of Grabovica changed and acts of violence began to occur. Throughout the night of 8 September, shooting was heard in the village. The ICTY established that by the early afternoon of 9 September, a number of inhabitants had been murdered by members of the ARBiH units present in Grabovica at the time. The ICTY Trial Chamber found that it has been established beyond reasonable doubt that 13 inhabitants, taking no active part in the hostilities, were murdered by members of the 9th Brigade and unidentified members of the ARBiH on 8 or 9 September 1993 (Pero Marić, Dragica Marić, Ivan Zadro, Matija Zadro, Mladen Zadro, Ljubica Zadro and Mladenka Zadro, Josip Brekalo, Martin Marić, Živko Drežnjak, Ljuba Drežnjak, Ivan Mandić and Ilka Miletić). The Trial Chamber found that the Prosecution failed to prove beyond reasonable doubt that 14 persons listed in the indictment were killed by members of the ARBiH in Grabovica at the time relevant for the Grabovica case. The Trial Chamber noted that during trial, six of the alleged victims listed in the indictment were withdrawn.^[1]

Investigation

After the information about the murders had reached Sarajevo, the ARBiH started investigation about the crimes committed. The 6th Corps Security Service, the Military Police Battalion of the 6th Corps and the Military Police of the 44th Brigade, which was located in Jablanica, were involved in the investigation into the events in Grabovica. The Chief of Security of the ARBiH Main Staff Jusuf Jašarević was informed of the results of their investigations. The ICTY found that based on the evidence, it could not be concluded that Sefer Halilović had the material ability to punish the perpetrators of the crimes committed in Grabovica.^[6]

ICTY Trial

Bosnian commander Sefer Halilović was indicted by ICTY on the basis of superior criminal responsibility (Article 7(3) of the Statute of the Tribunal) and charged with one count of violation of the laws and customs of war (Article 3 – murder). Having examined all the evidence presented to it and in light of its factual findings, the ICTY found that the Prosecution did not prove beyond reasonable doubt that Sefer Halilović had effective control over the troops in Grabovica on the 8th and 9th of September 1993, who the Trial Chamber has found committed the crimes. Consequently Halilović was found not guilty.^[7]

Verdicts

In 2008, the Supreme Court of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina confirmed three local court convictions of 13 years in prison against Nihad Vlahovljak, Sead Karagić and Haris Rajkić, former ARBiH soldiers for the crimes committed in Grabovica. The Court found that Nihad Vlahovljak ordered the murders, and the other two executed his order.^[8]

Notes

References

Books

Hoare, Marko Attila (2004). How Bosnia Armed. Saqi Books. |access-date= requires |url= (help)
Thomas, Nigel (2006). The Yugoslav Wars (2): Bosnia, Kosovo and Macedonia 1992-2001. Osprey Publishing Ltd. Retrieved 15 April 2013.

Bosnian War

Part of the Yugoslav Wars

Prelude	Karađorđevo agreement Sporazum Karadžić - Filipović RAM Plan SAO Bosanska Krajina Manjača camp SAO Herzegovina SAO North-Eastern Bosnia SAO Romanija Republika Srpska Bosnia and Herzegovina independence referendum Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina

1992	Battle of Bosanski Brod Sijekovac killings Bijeljina massacre Batković concentration camp Battle of Kupres Siege of Sarajevo Foča massacres Siege of Srebrenica Zvornik massacre Doboj Snagovo massacre Prijedor massacre Sarajevo column incident Graz agreement Glogova massacre Lašva Valley ethnic cleansing Tuzla column incident Zaklopača massacre Vilina Vlas Liplje camp Luka camp Omarska camp Keraterm camp Trnopolje camp Sušica camp Čelebići camp Bijeli Potok massacre Dretelj camp Uzamnica camp Operation Jackal Višegrad massacres (Barimo Bosanska Jagodina Paklenik Sjeverin) Čemerno massacre Siege of Bihać Ahatovići massacre Croat–Bosniak War Operation Vrbas '92 Operation Corridor Croatian Republic of Herzeg-Bosnia Agreement on Friendship and Cooperation between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia Korićani Cliffs massacre Heliodrom camp

1993	Kravica attack Duša massacre Siege of Gornji Vakuf Štrpci Siege of Mostar Ahmići massacre Trusina killings Sovići massacre Dobrinja mortar attack Battle of Žepče Gabela camp Vojno camp Operation Neretva '93 Grabovica massacre Mokronoge massacre Stupni Do massacre Autonomous Province of Western Bosnia Operation Deny Flight Križančevo Selo killings

1994	Tvigi 94 First Markale massacre Banja Luka incident Washington Agreement Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina Operation Bøllebank Operation Tiger Battle of Kupres Operation Amanda Operation Spider Operation Winter '94

1995	Operation Leap 1 Battle of Orašje Operation Leap 2 Split Agreement Operation Summer '95 Tuzla massacre Srebrenica massacre (Kravica Children) Battle for Vozuća Operation Storm Second Markale massacre NATO bombing campaign Operation Mistral 2 Operation Sana Operation Una Operation Southern Move Dayton Agreement Bosnia and Herzegovina

Aspects	Genocide Ethnic cleansing Rape Peace plans Foreign fighters

Timeline of the Bosnian War (Timeline of the Croat–Bosniak War)

Category Commons

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