Documenta Remembers Unprocessed Crimes Committed During the “Storm” Offensive

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The Zagreb-based Documenta Centre for Dealing with the Past remembered yesterday, August 7, 2012, the crimes against civilian population that took place 17 years ago, to raise the public attention about the difficult heritage of unprocessed crimes committed in August 1995, during and immediately after the military offensive “Storm”.

“We want… to express solidarity to the families of the victims and warn, once again, about the evident lack of sympathy for the victims from other ethnic communities”, states Documenta’s statement for the public.

Documenta logoDocumenta notes the incident in the village of Bravsko, deep on the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina, when two MIG-21 airplanes of the Croatian Air Force bombed a column of civilians from Southern Lika and Northern Dalmatia, who left their homes during the offensive out of fear for their lives. Nine persons were killed in the attack, four of them children, and more than 50 were wounded.

“The planes flew low and slow over the column and the pilot must have seen, beyond any doubt, that it was made of civilian vehicles, women and children. They still returned, bombed the column and returned to Croatian airspace”, Documenta Centre says, adding that the incident took place on the last day of the offensive when there were not real threats for Croatian forces, whatsoever, and that the attack happened deep in Bosnia and Herzegovina territory.

Documenta notes another incident that happened on the same day, again in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Croatian war planes bombed the second branch of the refugee column, coming from Kordun and Banija. Some sources claim that at least several persons were killed in the attack on the column of civilians at the village of Svodna, near Novi Grad/Bosanski Novi.

“We list the two incidents and remember the innocent victims to remind the public and the relevant government institutions of the fact that crimies were committed for which nobody was held responsible, and of their failure to meet the obligation to investigate and process war crimes against civilian population”, the Documenta Centre says.

The Documenta Centre adds that the processing of war crimes has to be persistent and thorough, regardless of who the perpetrators and victims may be, having in mind that crimes know no nation or religion.

“They are what they are, a manifestation of evil and nothing can justify crimes, nor can the failure to process them be justified in any way or fashion”, Documenta Centre says. (Source: Documenta Centre for Dealing with the Past)