Glogova massacre

The Glogova massacre was the mass murder of 64 Bosniak civilians by Serb forces, consisting of the Yugoslav People's Army (JNA), Bratunac Territorial Defence (TO), local police, and paramilitaries from Serbia, on 9 May 1992. Miroslav Deronjić, the head of the "Bratunac Municipal Board" established by the Serbian Democratic Party (SDS), was sentenced to 10 years in prison by the Hague Tribunal for ordering the massacre.

Glogova massacre
Part of Bosnian War
Glogova
Location	Glogova, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Date	9 May 1992 (Central European Time)
Target	Bosniaks
Attack type	Mass killings
Deaths	64[1]
Perpetrators	Bosnian Serb forces, Yugoslav People's Army (JNA)

Background

Glogova is a village located in the Bratunac municipality near Srebrenica in east Bosnia and Herzegovina. In 1991, the village had 1,913 residents, including 1,901 identified as Bosnian Muslims (Bosniaks), six as Bosnian Serbs, four as Yugoslavs, one as a Bosnian Croat and one as "other".[2]

Massacre

On 9 May 1992, Serb forces, composed of the Yugoslav People's Army (JNA), Bratunac Territorial Defence, the local police, and Serbian paramilitary, entered Glogova, attacking the unarmed and defenseless village. The villagers were rounded up at the village's center and while in progress a number were killed. After being gathered, a group of about 19 Bosniak men were executed at the center. The attackers then made other Bosniaks carry and throw these and other bodies into a river. After doing so they were forced near the river and executed as well. Another group of about 20 Bosniak men were gathered at the village's market and then marched to the river and executed. A total of 64 Bosniak civilians were killed in the massacre and a number were forcibly displaced. A significant portion of Glogova was demolished including houses owned by Bosniaks, the village's mosque, and other private property.[2]

Trial

On 4 July 2002, an indictment and arrest warrant were filed against Miroslav Deronjić, the head of the SDS-established "Bratunac Municipal Board", by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY). The Stabilisation Force (SFOR) captured him shortly afterwards. On 10 July 2002, he pleaded not guilty to all charges of the first indictment. On 30 September 2003, he entered a plea deal and "accepted without any reservation full responsibility for the crimes". He was sentenced to 10 years in prison by the ICTY.[3] The sentence was criticized by dissenting Judge Wolfgang Schomburg as inadequate for the "heinous and long-planned crimes" committed and argued that he should have received a sentence of "no less than twenty years." He also criticized the prosecution for focusing only Deronjić's involvement in Glogova which he considered a part of "a larger criminal plan."[4] Deronjić died of natural causes on 19 May 2007.[5]

See also

• List of massacres in Bosnia and Herzegovina

References

1. "162 Bodies Counted as Bosnians Open Mass Graves". Los Angeles Times. 21 July 2001.
2. "Prosecutor v. Miroslav Deronjić Judgement" (PDF). International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. 30 March 2004. pp. 13, 15, 25–28, 56.
3. "Miroslav Deronjić - Case Information Sheet" (PDF). International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.
4. Simons, Marlise (31 March 2004). "10-Year Term For a Serb In War Crimes Called Light". New York Times.
5. "Bosnian Serb war criminal Deronjic dies in Sweden". Reuters. 19 May 2007.