August 1995 Bosanski Petrovac refugee column bombing
August 1995 Bosanski Petrovac refugee column bombing | |
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Part of Operation Storm during the Croatian War of Independence | |
Location | near Bosanski Petrovac, Bosnia and Herzegovina |
Coordinates | 44°34′00″N 16°31′20″E / 44.56667°N 16.52222°E |
Date | 7–8 August 1995 |
Deaths | 12–13[1] |
Victims | Serb civilians |
Perpetrators | Croatian Air Force |
On 7 August 1995, two Croatian Air Force MiG-21 planes fired several rockets at a Serb refugee column on a road near Bosanski Petrovac, Bosnia and Herzegovina, killing 9 civilians and injuring more than 50. On 8 August 1995, another attack took place, resulting in more civilian casualties. The victims were traveling in a refugee column fleeing Croatia during Operation Storm which brought about an end to the Croatian War of Independence.
Background
By March 1991, tensions between Croats and Serbs escalated into the
On 4 August 1995, the
Events
On 7 August, two
On 8 August, another refugee convoy was shelled near the village of Svodna, also in Bosnia, resulting in civilian casualties.[1]
Aftermath and reactions
A 1996 report by
In 2003 at the ICTY while under cross-examination by Slobodan Milošević, it was revealed that General Janko Bobetko, former Chief of the General Staff of the Croatian Army accused Imra Agotić, first commander of the Croatian Air Force and Defence of ordering the bombing of the refugee column. Agotić denied any involvement.[13]
In 2012, the Croatian journal Magazine for Military History (Vojna Povijest) published flight logs of Croatian fighter planes from 3 August to 8 August 1995. It described the destruction of military vehicles on 7 August and 8 August in the area near Bosanski Petrovac and Svodna, respectively.
On 1 November 2010, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Republika Srpska submitted reports and evidence to the Prosecutor's Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina against three officers and two pilots of the Croatian Army.[15] The events received renewed publicity in June 2022 when Serbia filed indictments against four Croatian Army officers it alleges were involved in the bombings.[1] One of them is fighter squadron commander Danijel Borovic who was the only one of the named in 2010 to be still alive.[1] The Croatian War Ministry responded to the indictments by issuing a statement rejecting Serbian jurisdiction over the matter.[16] Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said that the government would protect the pilots and called the Serbian indictment "a step backward in reconciliation".[17]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h Stojanovic, Milica (16 June 2022). "Refugee Bombing Case Highlights Serbia and Croatia's Enduring Antagonism". Balkan Insight. Archived from the original on 18 June 2022. Retrieved 14 July 2022.
- ISBN 978-1-57607-800-6. Archivedfrom the original on 2022-05-26. Retrieved 2022-07-14.
- ^ Chuck Sudetic (20 May 1991). "Croatia Votes for Sovereignty and Confederation". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 11 November 2012. Retrieved 14 July 2022.
- ISBN 978-9-04111-890-5. Archivedfrom the original on 2022-07-15. Retrieved 2022-07-14.
- ^ Sudetic, Chuck (2 April 1991). "Rebel Serbs Complicate Rift on Yugoslav Unity". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 29 July 2012. Retrieved 14 July 2022.
- ISBN 978-1-5575-3617-4. Archivedfrom the original on 2020-08-06. Retrieved 2022-07-14.
- ISBN 978-0-7735-2017-2. Archivedfrom the original on 2022-06-14. Retrieved 2022-07-14.
- ^ "The situation in the occupied territories of Croatia: resolution / adopted by the General Assembly". United Nations. 9 February 1995.
- ^ "Croatia: Praise for "Operation Storm" creates climate of impunity" (PDF). Amnesty International. 9 August 2011.
- ^ Pomfret, John; Rupert, James (10 August 1995). "U.N. Reports attacks on Serb civilians fleeing Croatia's Krajina blitz". The Washington Post. Retrieved 20 July 2022.
- ^ a b c "The bombing of the refugee columns during Operation "Storm" – August 1995" (PDF). www.hlc-rdc.org. Humanitarian Law Center. 10 June 2022. Archived (PDF) from the original on 17 June 2022. Retrieved 14 July 2022.
- ^ Milekic, Sven; Ucanbarlic, Selma; Nikolic, Ivana (7 August 2015). "Children's Killers in Refugee Bombing Go Unpunished". Balkan Insight. Archived from the original on 22 May 2022. Retrieved 14 July 2022.
- ^ "Cross-examination by Mr. Milosevic". International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. Retrieved 20 July 2022.
- ^ Ciglenečki, Dražen (31 May 2022). "Plenkovićev savjetnik prvi javno potvrdio da su hrvatski MIG-ovi gađali srpsku kolonu: 'Naravno da je bilo kolateralnih žrtava…'". Novi list.
- ^ Kosanović, Saša (28 May 2011). "Sarajevo ne žuri, Zagreb nema pojma" (in Serbian). Novosti. Archived from the original on 25 July 2021. Retrieved 7 June 2022.
- ^ "Croatian war veterans ministry: Serbia cannot be boss in someone else's backyard". N1. 23 May 2022.
- ^ "Plenković: Gov't Will Do Its Best to Protect Indicted Air Force Pilots". total-croatia-news.com. 27 May 2022.