BELGRADE, May 17 (Hina) - Senior officials of the Yugoslav Army, Serbian Interior Ministry, and civil authorities of both Serbia and Yugoslavia are responsible for the abduction of 19 people, mostly Bosniaks, from the Belgrade-Bar
train at the Strpci station on February 27, 1993, the Fund for Humanitarian Right in Belgrade said on Friday.
BELGRADE, May 17 (Hina) - Senior officials of the Yugoslav Army,
Serbian Interior Ministry, and civil authorities of both Serbia and
Yugoslavia are responsible for the abduction of 19 people, mostly
Bosniaks, from the Belgrade-Bar train at the Strpci station on
February 27, 1993, the Fund for Humanitarian Right in Belgrade said
on Friday. #L#
Railway documentation which the railway company submitted to the
Higher Court in Bijelo Polje on May 7, showed that the railway
company had obtained information about the abduction plan on
January 28, 1993, and had informed competent organs about them.
However, the organs did nothing to prevent the abduction, and then
hid the information to protect senior officials of the Yugoslav
Army, Serbian Interior Ministry and civilian authorities.
The Fund for Humanitarian Right names the officials: army chief-of-
staff Zivota Panic, premier Milan Panic, Serbian defence minister
General Marko Negovanovic, commander of the Uzice Corps, Dragoljub
Ojdanic, interior minister Zoran Sokolovic, the head of the state
security service, Jovica Stanisic, Yugoslav president Dobrica
Cosic and Serbian president Slobodan Milosevic.
The Railways document, marked "highly confidential", was forwarded
on January 1, 1993, by the director of the Sector for Defence
Preparations and Protection, Mitar Mandic, to the company's
general director, Milomic Minic. The public learnt of it on May 13
at the trial against Nebojsa Ranisavljevic before the Higher Court
in Bijelo Polje. He is accused of the abduction and liquidation of
19 passengers in Strpci.
In the document, Mandic said that he was "informed that members of
the Serb Army of Rudo municipality would stop the trail and take
away the passengers. The entire action was to take place on the
section of the Belgrade-Bar railway passing through Bosnia, most
probably on the Strpci or Godes stations", with the explanation
that the Bosniak civilians should be exchanged for imprisoned Serb
soldiers in Bosnia.
Despite the fact that the highest state officials were informed
about the abduction, nothing was done to prevent it, the Fund said.
The Fund added that in 1993, during a meeting with the families of
the abducted, Slobodan Milosevic had said he would "turn over sky
and earth" to have the abducted civilians found.
(hina) lml