25 May 1995 Tuzla massacre
| Tuzla Massacre | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina |
| Date | May 25, 1995 20:55 (UTC+1) |
| Target | City street |
Attack type | Artillery fire |
| Deaths | 71 |
| Injured | 240 |
| Perpetrators | Army of Republika Srpska |
| Motive | Ongoing campaign of terrorism against civilians during the Bosnian War |
Tuzla Massacre (also known as the Massacre on the Gate, Bosnian and Croatian: Masakr na Kapiji, Serbian: Масакр на Капији) was a massacre of civilians committed on May 25, 1995 in Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It was one of several massacres committed by Serb military forces surrounding Bosnian cities and towns during the 1992-1995 War in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Event
On May 25 and 28, 1995 a number of artillery projectiles were fired at Tuzla from Army of Republika Srpska positions near the village of Panjik on Mt. Ozren some 25km west of Tuzla. One projectile fired by a 130mm towed artillery piece, detonated in the part of the city called Kapija at 20:55 hours. 71 people were killed and 240 were wounded.[1][2][3][4] All of the victims were civilians and the majority were between the ages of 18-25.[5].
Background
The attack was a response to a provocation ten days previous called the Tuzla column case, where JNA troops under retreat in accordance with UN declaration of Tuzla as a safe zone were fired upon by Bosnian Muslim and Croatian forces, resulting in 94 casualties. Since the Croatian and Boanian Muslim forces were firing from a UN safe zone, JNA could not legally respond. A commander in the Army of Republika Srpska took it upon himself to exact revenge by firing one artillery shell into Tuzla at long range. The attack on retreating JNA forces is celebrated as a holiday in Tuzla and Bosnian courts have dismissed it as an unrelated event.[6][7][8][9]
War crime indictment
Novak Đukić, a former Army of Republika Srpska officer was arrested in Banja Luka on November 7, 2007. At the time of the Tuzla massacre Đukić was the commander of the Tactical Group Ozren of the VRS. His trial began on March 11, 2008. On June 12, 2009, Đukić was found guilty and sentenced to 25 years imprisonment.Cite error: The <ref> tag has too many names (see the help page).
References
- ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8097918.stm
- ^ http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/main/news/19068/
- ^ http://books.google.com/books?id=QNdbxyNlOsYC&pg=PA139
- ^ http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/main/news/7229/
- ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8097918.stm
- ^ Nastavlja se suđenje za napad na tuzlansku kolonu Template:Sr icon
- ^ 1998 account Template:Sr icon
- ^ [1]
- ^ http://www.bim.ba/en/189/10/22998/
See also
External links
