ŠTRBAC: SKULLS OF KILLED SERB TERRITORIAL DEFENCE MEMBERS SMASHED

BELGRADE, JUNE 21 /SRNA/ – The skulls of 40 Serb Territorial Defence fighters who were killed and mutilated by Croatian forces on this day 34 years ago, after surrendering on the Miljevci Plateau near Drniš, had been smashed, and their bodies were incomplete, Savo Štrbac, the head of the Veritas Documentation - Information Centre, told SRNA.

Štrbac stressed that an insight into Croatian and Serb exhumation and autopsy reports concerning the remains recovered from a karst pit revealed devastating evidence of abuse inflicted upon the captured Serbs.

"Not a single one of those 40 skulls was intact. Not a single body had all of its limbs. Some were missing an arm, others a leg. Every skull was smashed. The extent of the brutality is unbelievable," Štrbac said.

He pointed out that these were ritual killings, a term he often uses, explaining that it was not enough merely to defeat or execute the enemy; such massacres were intended to send a message to the victim's fellow countrymen.

He noted that through throat-cutting, blows from sledgehammers, and other forms of violence, the victims were reduced to the level of animals, explaining that is what Serbs were for them.

“The other message was - Look what awaits you if you come into close contact with us,” Štrbac added.

He said that speleologists spent two days recovering 20 bags of human remains from the pit, but first had to use a crane to remove massive amounts of waste that had been dumped there in less than two months. The city of Šibenik used the abyss as a disposal site for bulky waste, including couches, sofas, automobiles …

He stressed that Croatian forces continued brutality similar to that during operations Maslenica, Medak Pocket, Flash, and Storm, which is why Serbs feared of direct encounters with the Croatian military, taking into account atrocities committed against Serbs during the Second World War.

"That was the trigger for the great exodus /of Serbs/. Not so much because of the strength of the Croatian Army but because of the fear of what could happen to the children, wives of Serb soldiers, and other vulnerable civilians," Štrbac added.

He said that Croatia has no intention of confronting its past, arguing that the country's "Homeland War" is treated as sacrosanct beyond criticism.

"You are not allowed to tell them what I am saying, or what I saw, experienced, and wrote about. I cannot go there; they will not allow it, because the truth hurts," Štrbac told SRNA.

A memorial service was held today at Church of Saint Mark in Belgrade for the 40 Serbs killed on the Miljevci Plateau near Drniš on June 21, 1992, who were treacherously killed and mutilated by forces of the Croatian Army after surrendering.