Dossier: Deportation of Srebrenica Refugees
Dossier: Deportation of Srebrenica Refugees

Author(s): Milica Kostić
Subject(s): Criminal Law, Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, Criminology, Wars in Jugoslavia
Published by: Fond za humanitarno pravo
Keywords: Srebrenica genocide; mass executions; deportation of refugees; violation of international law; Serbia; ICTY evidence; Bosnian war crimes
Summary/Abstract: After the fall of Srebrenica on 11 July, 1995, an estimated 7,905 persons disappeared, mostly men considered by the Army of Republika Srpska as “able-bodied”. DNA analysis of the mortal remains of those found in mass graves, to date, has enabled positive identification of 5,977 persons killed in Srebrenica. Most of these men were killed between 13 and 16 July 1995, in mass executions at several locations. A day before the fall of the enclave, between ten and sixteen thousand men fled into the forests around Srebrenica, intending to reach the “liberated territory” under the control of the Army of BiH. The search for, capture and killing of these men continued for weeks after the fall of Srebrenica. A number of these men crossed into the territory of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY). Evidence that has been publicly available at least since 2005 shows that the FRY border guards handed all captured men back to the Army of Republika of Srpska (VRS), contrary to the Republic of Serbia’s international commitment not to return persons to their country of origin, BiH in this case, where their life or health could be at serious risk. Even though there are indications that more Srebrenica inhabitants arrested in Serbia were handed back to the VRS, the Humanitarian Law Center (HLC) has collected evidence on the apprehension of 30 men from Srebrenica between 15 July and 1 August, 1995. They were all turned over to the VRS. Some of these apprehended men harmed themselves in order to avoid being deported, but were deported nonetheless. The mortal remains of 15 deported men were found in the Srebrenica mass graves, while nine others are still reported as missing.

• Details
• Contents