PARAMILITARY UNITS WERE MERE EXECUTORS OF THE OFFICIAL POLICY OF THE MUSLIM LEADERSHIP

BANJA LUKA, May 2 /SRNA/ – The massacre of innocent JNA soldiers in Dobrovoljačka Street in Sarajevo was the result of the official policy of the then Muslim leadership, Viktor Nuždić, acting director of the Republika Srpska Center for Research on War, War Crimes and Missing Persons, told SRNA.

Nuždić stated that, as with other crimes in Sarajevo, there is a persistent attempt to impose the narrative that these crimes were committed by paramilitary units and that the former government of the so-called Republic of BiH had no part in them. He emphasized that the crime against members of the JNA in Dobrovoljačka Street was not carried out by "Caco," "Ćelo" and "Juka," as is persistently claimed. "This is a classic example of spin and manipulation, because the paramilitary formations were merely the executors of the official policy of the Muslim leadership," Nuždić pointed out. Nuždić stressed that unfortunately, even after 33 years, there has been no judicial epilogue for this crime. "After numerous obstructions, the trial of Ejup Ganić and others drags on indefinitely, with no indication of if or when it will be concluded," said Nuždić on the occasion of commemorating the crime against JNA soldiers in Dobrovoljačka Street. He recalled that the killings of JNA members began on April 20, when two young soldiers were killed in Bistrik, and continued two days later, when eight JNA members were killed in Veliki Park. "The culmination occurred on May 2, when at least 19 JNA members were killed in Skenderija. The killings continued the next day, when at least nine more people were killed during the peaceful withdrawal of the JNA convoy, which had been agreed upon and guaranteed by UN forces," Nuždić said. In addition to those killed on May 2 and 3, 50 soldiers were wounded and a large number were captured and subjected to torture. Nuždić stated that the Center has documented, investigated, and presented its findings on the crime in Dobrovoljačka Street in the book "Reconstruction of the Crime, Deconstruction of the Myth," as well as in the "Atlas of Crimes Against Serbs During the Defensive-Patriotic War". On May 3, the 33rd anniversary of the crime against JNA soldiers in Dobrovoljačka Street will be marked in East Sarajevo and Sarajevo. According to the data of the Republika Srpska Center for Research on War, War Crimes and Missing Persons, at least 28 JNA members were killed in Sarajevo on May 2 and 3.