Massacre in Raštani: 24 Years Since the Horrific Crime of Tuta's Warriors

The massacre in Raštani was carried out in the early morning of August 24, 1993, in the settlement of Raštani near Mostar. At that time, HVO units during the Bosniak-Croat conflict after several hours of artillery fire entered the settlement and massacred 24 Bosniak civilians and 7 unarmed soldiers of the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

After entering the settlement, Croatian units, among which was the Punishment Battalion of Mladen Naletilić, known as Tuta, convicted of war crimes before the Hague Tribunal, entered the homes of residents one by one and killed the Bosniaks they found.

Immediately after entering the settlement, Croatian soldiers entered the home of Uzeir Beglerović, whom they immediately executed, after which they killed his wife Ćera and three daughters, 12-year-old Šaćira, 20-year-old Edina, and 25-year-old Fadila, who was pregnant.

After that, they continued killing other residents, including the families Žuškić, Ćišić, Dedić, Dumpor, and others. Among the killed civilians were several children. After the killings, the houses were set on fire, and a larger group of Bosniaks was taken to the Heliodrom camp.

So far, no one has been held accountable for this crime. The Cantonal Prosecutor's Office in Mostar sent this case to the Hague Tribunal for assessment.

Among those suspected of this crime are the commander of the Punishment Battalion, Mladen Naletilić, the commander of the Second HVO Brigade, Ilija Vrljić, the commander of the Bjelopolje Battalion, Marko Radić Maka, the Minister of Defense of Herceg-Bosna, Bruno Stojić, and HVO members Darko Tadić Konta and Brano Savić Cojo.