The massacre in Vrbanja is the name for a war crime committed by the Croatian Defence Council (HVO) against Bosniak civilians in the village of [Vrbanja (Bugojno)|Vrbanja]] from July 17 to 28, 1993, during the Croat-Bosniak War.[1]
| Vrbanja massacre | |
|---|---|
| Part of the Croat–Bosniak War | |
| Location | Vrbanja, Bugojno |
| Date | 17–28 July 1993 |
| Target | Bosniaks |
Attack type | Mass killing |
| Deaths | 45 |
| Perpetrators | Croatian Defence Council (HVO) |
Crime
editCroatian Defence Council (HVO) members killed 45 Bosniak civilians aged 19 to 82 in Vrbanja, and crimes against Bosniaks were also committed in the settlements of Vrpeč, Crniče, Donjići and Čaušlije.[2]
On July 17, 1993, a Croatian civilian was killed while driving through Vrbanja in civilian clothes, shorts and without any weapons.[3] Vrbanja was an ethnically mixed settlement located on the M 16-2 road at the exit from Bugojno towards Uskoplje.[4][better source needed] That road was still the only communication by which the HVO was spatially connected with Ante Starčević's Uskopal brigade and further to the south. All other directions were controlled by either the Serbs or the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina (ARBiH). HVO units also had a camp in the premises of the Akvarijum motel where another 46 people were forcibly imprisoned.[5] Detained Bosniaks, children, women and the elderly, were victims of various forms of abuse. Slavko Šakić was sentenced to 8.5 years in prison in 2008 for this crime.[6]
References
edit- ^ "PORODICE ŽRTAVA MASAKRA U VRBANJI TRAŽE PRAVDU: Nijemo i nezainteresovano Tužilaštvo BiH godinama potpuno ignoriše zahtjeve preživjelih bugojanskih Bošnjaka". Press BA. 2024-07-27. Retrieved 2024-08-10.
- ^ "Važno je ko je kriv: Za ubistvo 45 civila u Vrbanji izrečena samo jedna presuda". republika zapadna bosna. Retrieved 2024-08-10.
- ^ Tahmiščija, Emina Dizdarević (2020-07-28). "Skoro 30 godina od ubistava 45 osoba u Vrbanji kod Bugojna". Detektor (in Bosnian). Retrieved 2024-08-10.
- ^ AntiDayton (2015-07-26). "ZLOČINI U NASELJIMA VRBANJA, DONJIĆI, ČAUŠLIJE, CRNIČE I VRPEČ". AntiDayton (in Bosnian). Retrieved 2024-08-10.
- ^ "Obilježena 29. godišnjica zločina u bugojanskom naselju Vrbanja". Federalna. Retrieved 2024-08-10.
- ^ "Danas godišnjica zločina u Vrbanji kod Bugojna". www.klix.ba (in Croatian). Retrieved 2024-08-10.