Testimonies of Survivors at Korićanske Stijene: They Saved Themselves by Jumping into the Abyss

The shooting at Korićanske Stijene on 21 August 1992 was survived by 12 people who jumped into the abyss. One of the survivors of the massacre at Korićanske Stijene Edhem Hadžić jumped into the ravine. As he said, he had nothing to lose, death awaited him anyway. It took him five days to reach the first houses, reports the Patria news agency.  

"There was another colleague with me, I found him by a rock," says Hadžić, pointing to the spot where he found his companion on the path to salvation. He explains that there was a lot of crying, blood…

Twelve surviving witnesses

Sabahudin Garibović recalls:

"People rushed out of the bus. On the left and right sides there were armed soldiers. People started getting out, but I had a feeling and decided not to leave the bus," Garibović remembered. After the Bosniaks fell into the ravine, the police continued throwing bombs and shooting. However, several people survived the massacre by throwing themselves down the ravine before the shooting began. To this day, they are witnesses in court proceedings.

The last survivor of this crime was also brought to a hospital in Banja Luka. Sanamir Kljajić lay among the dead at Korićanske Stijene for 15 days. He was found by a Serb civilian who reported him to the army. 
In a multi-hour testimony, VRS soldier Damir Ivanković recalled the details of the crime committed in August 1992 at Korićanske Stijene. After the shooting, he received an order from Dado Mrđa to go down the ravine and look for survivors. 

"I saw some broken people down there. I even recognized one, little Sušić. He begged me to kill him, but I couldn't. I just gave him a pistol to kill himself and left," said Ivanković, admitting his part of the guilt for the crime committed. As he said, he participated in the murder of "about 70 or 80 people." 

Ivanković, a Croat mobilized into the RS army, said in his testimony: 

"The people we were guarding were robbed by us from the intervention platoon. That was ordered from above to commander Miroslav Paraš, and it was most often led by Dado Mrđa. Everyone was afraid of him. People would be given bags and then everything would be handed over to him. Later, they would give us about 100 marks, but everything else ended up with chief Simo Drljača," Ivanković explained.

Robbery before killing

"Mrđa came to me and gave me a bag to carry out the robbery. I put the bag in, but I never asked for it back. Mrđa did that at the last stop and went crazy when he saw how little money was in it," said Ivanković.
"Mrđa ordered us all to get on the buses… After about fifteen minutes of driving," he continued, "the buses stopped, and the prisoners were ordered to get out and 'line up in two columns by the rock.'"

"Paraš and Mrđa consulted for a while, and then Mrđa ordered those people to line up by the ravine and bow their heads. Then I knew those people would be shot, and there was already an argument between me and Mrđa. I refused to do it, and he told me, if I wouldn't, to put down my weapon and stand in line with them. When the people were ordered to stand by the ravine," said Ivanković.

As he recounted, the shooting lasted about fifteen minutes, because the prisoners "were also jumping onto the sharp rocks."
Paraš and Drljača have since died, and Darko Mrđa was sentenced by the Hague Tribunal for war crimes to 17 years in prison.