Mistakenly Turned Over to Serbs
Who Refuse to Release Them
PALE, Bosnia, May 14 (Reuters) — At least some of the seven men apprehended by NATO troops outside the Bosnian Serb town of Zvornik last week and then turned over to Serb police could be refugees from Srebrenica, a U.N. spokesman said on Tuesday.The Muslim enclave of Srebrenica was overrun by Bosnian Serb troops in July of 1995 and thousands of men from the town are missing and feared dead. Refugees who hid in caves and forests over the winter are still trickling into government-held territory, some unaware the war is over.
Bosnian Serb police have charged three of the seven men with the murder of Serb civilians and an investigation into the entire group is underway. "We will monitor the investigation through a magnifying glass because we are receiving reports, which we cannot yet confirm, that some of these seven are from Srebrenica and have been in the woods these months," U.N. police spokesman Alexander Ivanko said.
Ivanko, speaking at a briefing in the Bosnian Serb "capital" of Pale, would not reveal the nature or source of the reports suggesting the men may be from Srebrenica. U.N. police monitors on the scene when the seven men, who are presumed but not proven to be Muslim, were apprehended expressed reservations to a U.S. major in charge on the ground about handing the prisoners over to the Serbs.
The men, first spotted by U.S. troops while moving on foot east towards Zvornik through rugged country, were then observed heading back towards the Americans, away from a place from which gunfire had been heard. The seven surrendered voluntarily to the Americans who questioned them and handed them over to Serb authorities.
When they surrendered, the men were wearing a mix of military fatigues and civilians clothes but were clean and looked well-fed, not as if they had been living rough. They were found in possession of some grenades and pistols, making them an armed group in violation of the Dayton peace agreement, on the basis of which they were given to the Serbs.
Ivanko expressed concern over the failure of Bosnian Serb police to permit U.N. police monitors to visit all seven of the prisoners. Five of the men have been visited but access to two has been denied, contrary to a pledge made by Serb authorities when the men were handed over. U.N. police monitors have also been denied access by the Serbs to the scene of the crime where three of the men are alleged to have murdered Serb civilians.
Berserkistan, May 13 · U.S. Blundered Turning 7 Muslims Over to Serbs
Berserkistan, May 11 · Accused Muslim Soldiers Surrender to U.S. Troops
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