Anniversary of the crime against Bosniaks in Stupni Do

Croat forces killed more than 35 Bosniak civilians and soldiers in the village of Stupni Do in the municipality of Vareš on 23 October 1993, recalls the Bosnian news agency Patria (NAP).

The commander of the Croat forces, Ivica Rajić, pleaded guilty before the Tribunal and said that the massacre should not have happened.

- Those victims were unnecessary, just like the war between two friendly peoples. I extend my apology to the families of the victims, for all the pain they suffer due to the loss of their loved ones – said Rajić before the Tribunal.

- All those victims deserve truth and justice

Rajic arrived in Vareš with about 200 HVO soldiers, among them the Maturice and Apostoli units. Slobodan Praljak, a general of the Croatian army, ordered him to "sort out the situation in Vareš" and to "show no mercy to anyone". Stupni Do then had about 250 inhabitants, 35 of whom were soldiers.

The HVO unit entered the village and attacked the local Army of BiH soldiers and civilians. Rajić then ordered his men to search Bosniak houses and gather all military-aged men to detain them. Neither UNPROFOR forces nor European Union observers were able to enter the village for three days to verify the accuracy of the claims about the crimes.

According to many media reports, besides having strategic importance, the village of Stupni Do was a center for smuggling goods between the three warring sides. The Croats allegedly took a percentage of the trade, and when they demanded a significantly larger percentage, the Bosniaks refused to pay. The attack on Stupni Do was not an official HVO action, but was undertaken by HVO members who, like Ivica Rajić, were deeply involved in black market smuggling.

Twelve villagers were forced into a barn that the HVO set on fire, but they managed to escape. Nevertheless, several bodies were found burned in their homes. Almost the entire village was destroyed. Of the 37 victims, only six were soldiers, writes NAP.