5.4. July 16th, 1995 | Srebrenica - July 6th-19th, 1995

5.4.

July 16th, 1995

Executions

Column

Break out

Around 8.00 am on the morning of July 16th, 1995, some parts of the 28th division of the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, in a joint action with artillery support from the 2nd Corps from Tuzla, attacked and breached Bosnian Serb Army lines, joining the front of the column in the area of Baljkovica, where fierce battles were taking place between the Zvornik Brigade and the 2nd Corps of the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina. 

Some parts of the columns continued trying to break through into territory under the control of the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Intercepted conversation

“Parcels”

BSA General Krstic → BSA Colonel Beara

Ljubisa Beara: “There are still 3,500 parcels that I have to distribute and I have no solution.“

Radislav Krstic: “I’ll see what I can do.“

The word “parcel“ was used in this intercepted conversation to describe the prisoners from the Bosnian Muslim column while “distribute“ meant handing them over to the killing squads.

Intercepted conversation

“Problems”

BSA Major Jokic speaking → BSA General Vilotic

“Obrenovic is really engaged to the maximum. This parcel has done the most to ruin us…and since this morning we have been reporting on the number of people, well…well, so...”

Subsequently, on July 16th 1995, men from the Bratunac Brigade arrived to assist members of the 10th Sabotage Detachment with the executions on the Branjevo Military Farm.

Executions

Branjevo military farm

Buses with prisoners arrived between 1.00 and 2.00 pm, and a group of soldiers from the Bratunac Brigade joined Drazen Erdemovic’s unit to assist with the shootings, which lasted from 10.00 am to 3.00 pm.


Reconstruction: Establishing the facts about the executions

“And again, the place was fully processed by the scientific police. There is no survivor on this spot. Without the testimony of Drazen Erdemovic we never would have known anything about this crime scene.“

  • Jean-René Ruez, Chief Superintendent at the French National Police, former Head of the Hague Tribunal Investigative Team for Srebrenica
Executions

Pilica Cultural Center

The Pilica Cultural Center was in the zone of responsibility of the 1st battalion of the Zvornik Brigade. On July 16th hundreds of Muslim prisoners were executed there.

According to the testimony of Drazen Erdemovic, the same soldiers from Bratunac who had arrived to assist with the Branjevo Military Farm shootings carried out the killings at the Pilica Culture Center. After the executions at the Branjevo Military Farm, the soldiers from the 10th Sabotage Detachment left for a café in Pilica. The sounds of the executions lasted for approximately 15 - 20 minutes, after which a soldier from Bratunac entered the café in Pilica to inform Erdemovic and the others present that “everything was over”.

Interecepted telephone conversation

“I finished the job”

BSA Colonel Popovic → BSA Rasic, Duty Officer at the Drina Corps Command

Officer Rasic confirmed that he had “finished the job”.