Extermination in Bosnia
Definition:
"Extermination:Mass killings of dehumanized victims" (Bosnian Genocide)
When Did the Killing Begin?:
1992. The Bosnian referendum for independence took place on April 6, 1992. That day, Serb militants opened fire on thousands of peaceful demonstrators in Sarajevo, killing at least five and wounding 30. (Bosnian Genocide)
Examples:
"Serb-run camps in Northern Bosnia were symbolic of all that is inhumane. People were pressed tightly into barracks and deprived of basic life necessities. Sadly, most resorted to quenching their thirst with excretion. Not every one of the 14,000 Muslim men in the camps of Northern Bosnia was marked for death (as was seen in the Holocaust) but due to the poor living conditions in those camps, over 10,000 died anyways. U.S. officials became aware of these concentration camps as early as May of 1992, but this did not prevent any of the 677 detention centers or camps to stop incarcerating people. The worst of the camps was Omarska. Here, thousands of civilian men, both Muslim and Croat, were held in metal cages and killed in group of ten to fifteen every few days. Serbs denied access to all those who wanted to investigate their camps, including relief officials and journalists. As in the Holocaust, the Serbs wanted to hide what was happening. Brutality included grinding Muslim bodies into animal, among other atrocities." (Bosnian Genocide)
"Muslims [Bosniaks] in Bosnia-Herzegovina “are virtually threatened with extermination” because of ethnic cleansing by Serbs. Tadeusz Mazowiecki’s report reiterated what has long been charged — that ethnic cleansing does not appear to be a consequence of the war, but its goal.
“This goal, to a large extent, has already been achieved through killings, beatings, rape, destruction of house and threats,” the former Polish premier said.
Mr. Mazowiecki, who had announced his main findings Monday, ahead of the report’s publication, said Bosnian Serb leaders have pursued their plan while negotiating peace in Geneva. Muslims are the “principal victims,” he said. The report, given to the U.N. Human Rights Commission, also detailed evidence of mass graves near the town of Vukovar in the neighboring republic of Croatia, “some of which contain victims of atrocities.” Vukovar fell to Serb forces in a fierce battle in last year’s war in Croatia." (UN: SERB GOAL IS EXTERMINATION OF MUSLIMS IN BOSNIA)
The Serbs attempted to exterminate the Muslims of Bosnia, destroying hundreds of mosques and setting up concentration camps. (Abdulla Ahmed)
"Muslims [Bosniaks] in Bosnia-Herzegovina “are virtually threatened with extermination” because of ethnic cleansing by Serbs. Tadeusz Mazowiecki’s report reiterated what has long been charged — that ethnic cleansing does not appear to be a consequence of the war, but its goal.
“This goal, to a large extent, has already been achieved through killings, beatings, rape, destruction of house and threats,” the former Polish premier said.
Mr. Mazowiecki, who had announced his main findings Monday, ahead of the report’s publication, said Bosnian Serb leaders have pursued their plan while negotiating peace in Geneva. Muslims are the “principal victims,” he said. The report, given to the U.N. Human Rights Commission, also detailed evidence of mass graves near the town of Vukovar in the neighboring republic of Croatia, “some of which contain victims of atrocities.” Vukovar fell to Serb forces in a fierce battle in last year’s war in Croatia." (UN: SERB GOAL IS EXTERMINATION OF MUSLIMS IN BOSNIA)
The Serbs attempted to exterminate the Muslims of Bosnia, destroying hundreds of mosques and setting up concentration camps. (Abdulla Ahmed)
When Did the Killing End?:
1996. In 1996, SFOR (stabilization force) sent 20,000 American troops to prevent new hostilities. According to Richard Holbrooke, the chief architect of the Dayton Peace Agreement, the country would not have survived without the presence of the troops. (Bosnian Genocide)
How Many Were Murdered?:
The figure of 200,000 dead, injured, and missing was frequently cited by human rights organizations and media reports after the war. The figure was based on a research done by UN's expert commission investigating war crimes in the former Yugoslavia . The report was issued at the end of 1994. The team of experts was headed by Cherif Bassouni. (Srebrenica Genocide Blog)