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Čelebići camp
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Čelebići prison camp
Detainment camp

Serbs from the Konjic area detained in the Čelebići


camp

Čelebići
Location of Čelebići prison camp within Bosnia and
Herzegovina
Čelebići, Konjic municipality,
Location
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnian Ministry of the Interior,
Operated by Croatian Defence Council, Bosnian
Territorial Defence
Operational May–December 1992
Inmates Bosnian Serbs
Number of
400–700
inmates
Killed 13–30
Model of the Čelebići camp, near Konjic, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Presented as evidence in
the Mucić et al. trial. (Photograph provided courtesy of the ICTY)

The Čelebići camp was a prison camp run by Bosniak and Bosnian Croat forces during the
Bosnian War.[1] It was used by several units of the Bosnian Ministry of the Interior (MUP),
Croatian Defence Council (HVO) and later the Bosnian Territorial Defence Forces (TO). The
camp was located in Čelebići, a village in the central Bosnian municipality of Konjic.[2]

The camp, operational from May to December 1992, was used to detain Bosnian Serb
prisoners of war, most of whom were civilians[2][3] arrested during military operations that
were intended to de-block routes to Sarajevo and Mostar in May 1992 that had earlier been
blocked by Serb forces.[2] The exact number of prisoners that were held at the camp is
unknown but estimates range between 400 and 700.[4][5][6]

Detainees at the camp were subjected to torture, sexual assaults, beatings and otherwise cruel
and inhuman treatment.[7] Certain prisoners were shot and killed or beaten to death.
Investigators believe that as many as 30 died while in captivity.[8] However, the ICTY's
indictment only listed the deaths of 13 people.[6]

Hazim Delić, Esad Landžo, Zejnil Delalić and Zdravko Mucić were indicted for their roles in
the crimes committed at the camp. All were found guilty, except for Delalić.[7][9] In reaching
its decision, the ICTY made a landmark judgement by qualifying rape as a form of torture, the
first such judgement by an international criminal tribunal.[10]

Contents
 1 Background
 2 The inmates
 3 Conditions and treatment in the camp
 4 ICTY trial and convictions
 5 See also
 6 References

Background
During the conflict in Yugoslavia, Konjic municipality was of strategic importance as it
contained important communication links from Sarajevo to southern Bosnia and Herzegovina.
During the Siege of Sarajevo the route through Konjic was of vital importance to the Bosnian
government forces.[11] Furthermore, several important military facilities were contained in
Konjic, including the Igman arms and ammunition factory, the Yugoslav People's Army
(JNA) Ljuta barracks, the Reserve Command Site of the JNA, the Zlatar communications and
telecommunications centre, and the Celebici barracks and warehouses.
Although the Konjic municipality did not have a majority Serb population and did not form
part of the declared "Serb autonomous regions", in March 1992, the self-styled "Serb Konjic
Municipality" adopted a decision on the Serbian territories. The Serbian Democratic Party
(SDS), in co-operation with the JNA, had also been active in arming the Serb population of
the municipality and in training paramilitary units and militias. According to Dr. Andrew
James Gow, an expert witness during ICTY trial, the SDS distributed around 400 weapons to
Serbs in the area.[11]

Konjic was also included in those areas claimed by Croatia in Bosnia and Herzegovina as part
of the "Croatian Community of Herzeg-Bosnia", despite the fact that the Croats did not
constitute a majority of the population there either. Thus, there were HVO units established
and armed in the municipality by April 1992.

Following the international recognition of the independent Bosnian state and the walk-out of
SDS representatives from the Municipal Assembly a War Assembly was formed to take
charge of the defence of the municipality. Between 20 April and early May 1992 Bosnian
government forces seized control over most of the strategic assets of the Municipality and
some armaments. However, Serb forces controlled the main access points to the municipality,
effectively cutting it off from outside supply. Bosniak refugees began to arrive from outlying
areas of the municipality expelled by Serbs, while Serb inhabitants of the town left for Serb-
controlled villages according to the decision made by Serb leadership.

On 4 May 1992, the first shells landed in Konjic, thought to be fired by the JNA and other
Serb forces from the slopes of Borašnica and Kisera.[11] This shelling, which continued daily
for over three years, until the signing of the Dayton Peace Agreement, inflicted substantial
damage and resulted in the loss of many lives as well as rendering conditions for the surviving
population even more unbearable. With the town swollen from the influx of refugees, there
was a great shortage of accommodation as well as food and other basic necessities. Charitable
organizations attempted to supply the local people with enough food but all systems of
production foundered or were destroyed. It was not until August or September of that year
that convoys from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) managed
to reach the town, and all communications links were cut off with the rest of the State. A clear
priority for the Konjic authorities was the de-blocking of the routes to Sarajevo and Mostar.
This objective required that the Serbian forces holding Bradina and Donje Selo, as well as
those at Borci and other strategic points, be disarmed. Initially, an attempt was made at
negotiation with the SDS and other representatives of the Serb people in Bradina and Donje
Selo. This did not, however, achieve success for the Konjic authorities and plans were made
for the launching of military operations by the Joint Command.[11]

The first area to be targeted was the village of Donje Selo. On 20 May 1992 forces of the TO
and HVO entered the village. Bosnian government soldiers moved through Viniste towards
the villages of Cerići and Bjelovcina. Cerići, which was the first shelled, was attacked around
22 May and some of its inhabitants surrendered. The village of Bjelovcina was also attacked
around that time. According to witnesses heard by the ICTY, the Serb-populated village of
Bradina was shelled in the late afternoon and evening of 25 May and then soldiers in both
camouflage and black uniforms appeared, firing their weapons and setting fire to buildings.[11]
Many of the population sought to flee and some withdrew to the centre of the village. These
people were, nonetheless, arrested at various times around 27 and 28 May, by TO, HVO and
MUP soldiers and police.
The inmates
The military operations resulted in the arrest of many members of the Serb population. The
former JNA Čelebići compound was chosen out of necessity as the appropriate facilities for
the detention of prisoners in Konjic. Many of the men who were rounded up and disarmed
were elderly or infirm.[8] The majority of the prisoners who were detained between April and
December 1992 were men, captured during and after the military operations at Bradina and
Donje Selo and their surrounding areas. According to the Bradina witnesses' testimonies, after
the village was set ablaze, they were taken to the camp despite the fact that out of the 600 or
so inhabitants of the village, only 20-25 had any weapons.[12]These Bradina detainees, who
numbered about 70-80, were taken directly to Hangar 6 and appear to have been the first
group to be placed in that building. At the end of May, several groups were transferred to the
Čelebići prison-camp from various locations. For example, a group of around 15-20 men from
Cerići were captured on 23 May 1992 and taken to Čelebići that day. Another group was
taken near Bjelovcina around 22 May and spent one night at the sports hall at Musala before
being transported to the Čelebići prison-camp.[7]

Military police also arrested many members of the male population of Brđani at the end of
May and took them in a truck to the camp. A larger group was arrested in the centre of
Bradina on 27 May and made to walk in a column along the road to Konjic. When these
people reached a tunnel in the road, which had been blown up, they were searched and beaten
by their captors before being loaded into trucks and taken to the camp. Others were arrested
individually or in smaller groups at their homes or at military check points, in, amongst other
places, Bradina, Vinište, Ljuta, Kralupi and Homolje, or upon surrender or capture during and
after the operation in Donje Selo. Upon arrival at the camp, they were lined up against a wall
near the entrance and searched and made to hand over valuables. In addition, several
witnesses stated that they were severely beaten at that time by soldiers and guards.[7]

A Military Investigating Commission was constituted after the arrest of persons during the
military operations, whose purpose was to establish the responsibility of these persons for any
crimes. The Commission comprised representatives of both the police and the Croat Defence
Council (HVO), as well as the Bosnian Territorial Defence (TO), who were each appointed by
their own commanders. However, it was made evident during the trial that the Commission
had been created as a façade to give the Čelebići camp some semblance of legality. It only
worked for one month: its members were so horrified by the conditions the detainees were
living in, the injuries they suffered, and the state of terror prevailing in the camp, that they
resigned en masse.[2] Nevertheless, the Commission interviewed many of the Celebici inmates
and took their statements, as well as analyzing other documents which had been collected to
determine their role in the combat against the Konjic authorities and their possession of
weapons. As a result, prisoners were placed in various categories and the Commission
compiled a report recommending that certain persons be released. Some of the individuals
who had been placed in the lower categories were subsequently transferred to the sports hall
at Musala. From May until December 1992, individuals and groups were released from the
Čelebići prison-camp at various times, some to continued detention at Musala, some for
exchange, others under the auspices of the International Red Cross, which visited the camp on
two occasions in the first half of August.[7]

Conditions and treatment in the camp


According to human rights investigators, the prisoners were scarcely fed bread and given
water to drink. They rarely bathed, slept on concrete floors without blankets, and many were
forced to defecate on the floor.[8] Serbian survivors said soldiers entered the base at night and
beat prisoners with clubs, rifle butts, wooden planks, shovels and pieces of cable. Some of the
prisoners testified to having their body parts doused in gasoline before being set alight.[12]
Pliers, acid, electric shocks and hot pincers were also used to torture prisoners.[13]
Investigators say that between May and August, about 30 prisoners died from the beatings and
a few others were killed by the soldiers. Several of these victims were elderly. The few
women in the camp were kept separate from the men and frequently raped.[14]

ICTY trial and convictions


 Zdravko Mucić (an ethnic Croat), commander of the prison camp: found guilty of
willfully causing great suffering or serious injury, unlawful confinement of civilians,
willful killings, torture, inhuman treatment and given 9 years. Granted early release on
July 18, 2003.[7]
 Hazim Delić (Bosniak), deputy commander: found guilty of willful killings, torture,
willfully causing great suffering or serious injury, inhuman treatment and given 18
years. Granted early release on June 24, 2008.[7]
 Esad Landžo (Bosniak), guard: found guilty of willful killing, torture, willfully
causing great suffering or serious injury and given 15 years. Granted early release on
April 13, 2006.[7]

In the case of Zejnil Delalić, it was found that he did not have enough command and control
over the prison camp and the guards who worked there to entail criminal responsibility for
their actions.[7]

See also
 Gabela camp
 Hazim Delić
 Heliodrom camp
 Keraterm camp
 Manjača camp
 Omarska camp
 Trnopolje camp
 Uzamnica camp
 Vilina Vlas
 Vojno camp

References
1.

 "Celebici Case: The Judgement Of The Trial Chamber". International Criminal Tribunal
for the former Yugoslavia.
  "Crimes Against Serbs in the Čelebići Camp" (PDF). International Criminal Tribunal for
the former Yugoslavia.
  Rowland, Robin. "The privatization of war crimes". CBC News.
  Dzidic, Denis. "Bosniaks Mark Closure of Detention Camp for Serbs". Balkan Insight.
  "Hague president pays respects to victims". B92.
  Nettelfield, Lara J. (2010). Courting Democracy in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Cambridge
University Press. pp. 22, 197. 188.
  "Case Information Sheet: "Čelebići Camp" (IT-96-21) Mucić et al" (PDF). International
Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.
  Hedges, Chris. "Balkan War Crimes: Bosnia Is First to Turn In Its Own". The New York
Times.
  "Three guilty in Bosnia trial". BBC News.
  "Landmark cases". International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.
  "Judgment of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia in the case
of Delalic et al. (I.T-96-21) "Celebici" 16 November 1998 Part II". Pratique de l'histoire et
dévoiements négationnistes.
  "Celebici Trial. Tribunal Update 21: Last week in The Hague (March 24-29, 1997)".
Institute for War and Peace Reporting.
  Simons, Marlise. "A War-Crimes Trial, but of Muslims, Not Serbs". The New York Times.

14.  Stover, Eric (2011). The Witnesses: War Crimes and the Promise of Justice in The
Hague. University of Pennsylvania Press. p. 69.

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Bosnian War

Coordinates: 43°41′1″N 17°53′45″E

Categories:

 Croatian war crimes in the Bosnian War


 Bosniak war crimes in the Bosnian War
 Persecution of Serbs
 1992 establishments in Bosnia and Herzegovina
 1992 disestablishments in Bosnia and Herzegovina
 Konjic
 Bosnian War internment camps

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