Uzamnica camp was an

internment camp Internment is the imprisonment of people, commonly in large groups, without charges or intent to file charges. The term is especially used for the confinement "of enemy citizens in wartime or of terrorism suspects". Thus, while it can simpl ...

established in 1992 by JNA forces housing Bosniak

civilian Civilians under international humanitarian law are "persons who are not members of the armed forces" and they are not " combatants if they carry arms openly and respect the laws and customs of war". It is slightly different from a non-combatant ...

prisoners during the Bosnian War. Many of the Bosniaks who were not killed in the Višegrad massacres were detained at various locations in the town, including the former JNA military barracks and warehouse at Uzamnica, five kilometres from

Višegrad Višegrad ( sr-cyrl, Вишеград, ) is a town and municipality located in eastern Republika Srpska, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It rests at the confluence of the Drina and the Rzav river. As of 2013, it has a population of 10,668 ...

. Some of these detainees were kept at this site for over two years. Serb soldiers raped many women and beat and terrorised non-Serb civilians. Widespread looting and destruction of non-Serb homes and property took place daily and the town's two mosques were destroyed.

The camp

Prisoners detained at Uzamnica were subjected to inhumane conditions. Many were subjected to regular beatings. Serb

paramilitaries A paramilitary is an organization whose structure, tactics, training, subculture, and (often) function are similar to those of a professional military, but is not part of a country's official or legitimate armed forces. Paramilitary units carr ...

were also permitted to enter the camp to beat and

torture Torture is the deliberate infliction of severe pain or suffering on a person for reasons such as punishment, extracting a confession, interrogational torture, interrogation for information, or intimidating third parties. definitions of tortur ...

the prisoners at will. As a result of these assaults, many of the victims suffered serious and permanent injuries. Many prisoners were used for hard forced labour projects. According to survivors interviewed by Ed Vulliamy, the only food provided for the prisoners was pork, which is forbidden in Islam. Each week, convoys of male prisoners would leave the camp, heading into

Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin and the Balkans. It shares land borders with Hungar ...

, never to be seen again.

Judgements by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY)

Milan Lukić, was found guilty of 10 counts of crimes against humanity and nine counts of violations of the

laws of war The law of war is the component of international law that regulates the conditions for initiating war (''jus ad bellum'') and the conduct of warring parties (''jus in bello''). Laws of war define sovereignty and nationhood, states and territor ...

for his alleged involvement in atrocities, including murder,

, persecution, looting and destruction of property, and was sentenced to life imprisonment on July 20, 2009. The Trial Chamber found Sredoje Lukić guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity and sentenced him to 30 years imprisonment. In relation to the Uzamnica camp, the evidence showed that both Milan Lukić and Sredoje Lukić were opportunistic visitors to the camp, although Sredoje Lukić came to the camp less frequently than Milan Lukić. When at the camp, both Milan Lukić and Sredoje Lukić severely and repeatedly kicked and beat the detainees with their fists, truncheons, sticks and rifle butts. Several victims testified before the Trial Chamber about these brutal beatings and the grave and permanent injuries they sustained and the suffering they endured.

Notes

References

;ICTY * * ;News Reports * {{DEFAULTSORT:Uzamnica Camp 1992 establishments in Bosnia and Herzegovina 1994 disestablishments in Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnian genocide Serbian concentration camps in the Yugoslav Wars Bosnian War internment camps

The camp

Judgements by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY)

See also

Notes

References