Various News Reports [17/42]

Call Number
350-1-1:517/1

General information

Call No.:
350-1-1:517/1
Part of series
HU OSA 350-1-1 Records of the International Monitor Institute: Europe: Balkan Archive
Located at
BetaSP NTSC #517 / No. 1
Digital ver. identifier
HU_OSA_00000517
Date of production
1994
Date
1994
Level
Item
Primary Type
Moving image
Language
English, Bosnian
Duration
1 hour
Notes
Part 17

Content

Form/Genre
Television program
Contents Summary
This tape contains reports by various news organizations. The majority of the reports have extremely bad audio quality. SKY News: This ABC "Nightline" program was aired on January 26, 1996. Dave Marash explores mass graves found in the areas of Vozuca, Liubija, and Brcko, and the impact that these have had on the local and international community. Marash points to the village of Cerna as an example of ethnic cleansing where the houses were left almost untouched, but whose population has been driven away or killed. Four graves were unearthed near Cerna, in the area of Vozuca. As pathologist Dr. Izet Hodzic points out, thirteen cadavers were found and seven other individuals are still missing. One of the local grave diggers, Sahbaz Abdamovic explains that half of the bodies were burned beyond recognition. The bodies were found on property belonging to Safet Grzalic who explains that out of the 5,000 people who lived in the Vozuca valley before the war, only 200 or 300 are left. The next grave Marash focuses on lies in the Ljubija mine pits, where thousands of bodies are suspected to have been buried. This grave, Marash states, is believed to have been tied to the Keraterm temporary concentration camp. The report contains excerpts from interviews by "Nightline" in November of 1992 with three unidentified, and one anonymous, Keraterm camp survivors. One of the unidentified survivors states that 122 men were killed in one single night. Near the town of Brcko another mass grave was found. Marash interviews Roy Gutman, a "Newsday" reporter, who explains that around 3,000 Bosnian Muslim men were killed in a row of warehouses at the port of the river Sava. These warehouses served as a concentration camp. Gutman further notes that corpses taken to a local cattle feeding company were either ground up or burned. Marash finally focuses on the mass graves found near Srebrenica. He interviews U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Human Rights John Shattuck on the scene of where around 2,000 Bosnian Muslim men were killed after the Bosnian Serb takeover of Srebrenica. Marash finally gives a brief examination of NATO's response to the finding of mass graves throughout Bosnia. Statements are made by Allied Rapid Reaction Force Corps General Sir Michael Walker, Commander UK IFOR Brigade Brigadier Richard Dannatt, IFOR Spokesman Colonel Robert Gaylord, and Tribunal Prosecutor Justice Richard Goldstone. Other footage available: Bosnian Serb soldiers rolling into Srebrenica, Zoran Pertovic-Pirocanac footage taken after the fall of Srebrenica, UN Dutch headquarters in Potocari, destroyed houses and villages, TVBiH footage-General Leighton Smith appealing to NATO troops to help war crimes investigators and men digging up a mass grave, and SRT footage of Admiral Smith appealing to NATO troops for help in the investigations. In the second part of the program, Forrest Sawyer interviews War Crimes Tribunal Prosecutor Justice Richard Goldstone. Goldstone discusses the following issues: NATO's role in the investigations, the differences in mission of NATO and the Tribunal, the 56 indictments issued for alleged war criminals, and the accusations made against Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic. SKY News: Christopher Terry reports on a meeting between all Serbian leaders in the hopes of exchanging war criminals in return for the lifting of sanctions against Serbia. Red Cross records show that only 300 of the 900 POW's were released following the signing of the Dayton peace agreement. According to the report, the Bosnian government holds over 300 POW's, the Bosnian Serbs hold 180, and the Bosnian Croats hold 177. The report also touches upon the issue of war crimes by pointing out that many are believed to have been massacred after the fall of Srebrenica, and that many more thousand are buried in the Ljubija mine near Prijedor. The report also cites a statement made by Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic, saying that war criminals should not be extradited to the Hague, but tried in the Bosnian Serb Republic. A statement is made by Bosnian Foreign Minister Muhamed Sacirbey. Footage included: Karadzic greeting several men at a Christmas pork roasting in Belgrade, POW's lined up for release, and Bosnian Serb General Ratko Mladic greeting Karadzic in Pale. The report is followed by a phone interview of Jaksa Skekic who reports from Belgrade. He addresses the following issues: the meeting between Milosevic, Karadzic, and Mladic in Belgrade; mass graves; and the expected cooperation of the Serbian leaders with the International War Crimes Tribunal investigations. HRT: A very brief report showing Mr. Vladimir Soljic, Minister of Defense of HR Herceg-Bosna gives a statement regarding the recognition of the Croatian Defense Council fighters. HRT: This piece, originally produced by BBC World, contains an interview with U.S. Human Rights Envoy John Shattuck. Shattuck addresses the following issues: the strength of the war crimes evidence, satellite pictures, cooperation of Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic and local Bosnian Serb authorities in visiting the sites, the guarding of the sites, and cooperation of NATO forces stationed in Bosnia. HRT: This broadcast, originally produced by BBC World, is an interview conducted with Zoran Pajic, Professor of International Law at London University's Kings College, who discusses the following issues surrounding the War Crimes Tribunal: disagreements regarding war crimes, the role of IFOR forces in guarding mass grave sites, and the establishment of legitimacy of the Tribunal. BBC World: This broadcast analyzes the post-war situation in Mostar, which is divided into Eastern Mostar, populated by Bosnian Muslims, and West Mostar, populated by Bosnian Croats. The report gives a brief history of the animosities which existed between the two fractions and the later alliance against the Bosnian Serbs. Even though the population is working on rebuilding the city, deep animosities remain prevalent as each ethnic group works on rebuilding only their parts of town, and the population generally does not show a desire to unite Mostar again. Statement are made by Bosnian Croat Mayor Mjio Brajovic and Mufti of Mostar Hadzismail Smajkic. Footage included: the destruction of Mostar's "Stari Most" bridge by Bosnian Croat forces, Bosnian Muslim men going into a Mostar mosque, an outdoor market in Mostar, and TV MOSTAR footage of a Bosnian Croat parade on the Mostar stadium, including a Bosnian commander calling out to his "Ustasha" brothers. EURONews: This broadcast begins by stating that more evidence has been found to explain the disappearance of 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men after the fall of Srebrenica. The report gives a very brief history of the Tribunal, and then explains that of the 52 indicted men only a few are in the Tribunal's custody as NATO forces refuse to hunt down the accused war criminals. Footage included: Dusko Tadic entering the Hague courtroom, Manjaca camp, and Radovan Karadzic getting into a car in the States. EURONews: This short broadcast was originally produced by TVE (Spanish TV Channel). All the report states is that 30 mass graves were found around Bosnia and that investigators are given physical protection by the NATO peacekeepers. Footage included: one of the warehouses where the Srebrenica victims were killed, snow-covered fields where bodies are suspected to be laying, and investigators collecting and sorting through remains of victims. EURONews: This broadcast was originally produced by FRANCE2. This report is in reference to mass graves found around Srebrenica, but large parts of the report are inaudible. John Shattuck is shown giving a statement regarding what is suspected to have happened to the Bosnian Serb men of Srebrenica. According to the report, the men who are suspected of having committed the killings belong to the Drina Corps unit of the Bosnian Serb Army. An unidentified survivor of Srebrenica gives an inaudible statement. The report shows statements made by IFOR Lieutenant Colonel Raymer, and Sarajevo Envoy Laurent Boussie. Footage includes a destroyed building in Srebrenica, snow-covered fields where bodies are suspected to be laying, and war crimes investigators looking at the snow-covered site. EURONews: This broadcast was produced by Portugal's RTP. The audio is very bad on this report. The report is in relation to a suspected mass grave in Liubija and the War Crimes Tribunal. It is stated that Karadzic and Mladic are the only known names of the 52 indicted war criminals. Footage includes Ratko Mladic walking up the stairs, a former mine pit near Ljubija where a mass grave is suspected, Mladic greeting Karadzic in Pale, and U.S. Admiral Leighton Smith appearing on Bosnian Serb TV. EURONews: Originally produced by Finnish YLE, this broadcast interviews War Crimes Investigator Elizabeth Grant. Grant discusses her upcoming trip to Bosnia where she is to gather evidence of mass executions. The report also gives an outline of the places she will investigate and what evidence other investigators have found of mass graves throughout Bosnia. Footage included: Grant meeting with Croatian President Franjo Tudjman, aerial photos of suspected mass graves near Srebrenica, Zoran Petrovic-Pirocanac footage taken after the fall of Srebrenica, John Shattuck visiting a snow-covered suspected mass grave near Srebrenica, a suspected mass grave near Brcko, and a NATO soldier digging through earth. EURONews: This broadcast was originally produced by the Swiss SSR. The report discusses the issues regarding NATO's request for Switzerland to send troops to help out in Bosnia. Footage included: a UN soldier unloading a box from a truck, IFOR tanks rolling into a town, the document where the request was made, an unidentified Swiss official, and Swiss UN Blue Berets in Bosnia. EURONews: Originally produced by FRANCE3, this broadcast interviews Sadika Hajruli whose husband and daughter disappeared after they were captured by Bosnian Serb soldiers. She tells her story of how she was held prisoner in the basement of an old Serbian woman's house. Footage available: a picture of the house where Sadika was held, and family photos. HRT: This broadcast is a CNN interview with Justice Richard Goldstone; he discusses the following issues: where some of the known war criminals are hiding, ways in which the Tribunal plans to bring these people to trial, the cooperation of Slobodan Milosevic in extraditing war criminals, and IFOR's role in aiding the arresting of indicted war criminals. RTS: This broadcast focuses on the Bosnian government soldiers who escaped to Yugoslavia. The report states that until international refugee organizations arrived, the deserters were taken care of by the Yugoslav government. Statements are made by the following Bosnian government soldiers: Mevludin ?esko, a medial technician; Mustafa ?etic, a teacher; and Andrija Kurtic. HRT: Broadcast contains an interview conducted with Berislav Pusic, Director of Croatia's Office for the Exchange of Prisoners. The interview is a response to a report aired on Serbian television and one aired by CNN. The RTS (Belgrade television) report stated that Bosnian Serbs have released all of their POW's, but that 200 Bosnian Serb POW's are held in Tuzla. The second report concluded in the broadcast is one produced by CNN. Jackie Shymanski reports on the exchange of POW's between the three Bosnian fractions. The report shows the release of 200 Bosnian Serb POW's by the Bosnian government and Bosnian Croat forces. Bosnian Serbs were not able to release Bosnian Croat and Bosnian government forces right away due to logistical problems. The report also shows an incident where a Bosnian Croat soldier was caught with a weapon prohibited by the Geneva Convention. Statements are made by an unidentified Bosnian Serb representative, and IFOR Spokesman Pierre Gauthier. The interview is cut off.