Northwestern Bosnia: Human Rights Abuses during a Cease-Fire and Peace Negotiations

Areas of northwestern Bosnia under Bosnian Serb control were the site of a brutal endgame of “ethnic cleansing,” murder, and rape, even as a cease-fire and the Dayton accord were negotiated. In the fall of 1995, more than 6,000 non-Serbs were systematically and brutally driven from their homes. At least 2,000 non-Serb draft-age males were separated from their families and taken to unknown locations. Many were still missing; some believed dead, others remained in detention and forced labor. According to witnesses, Bosnian Serb forces were assisted in attacks against non-Serbs by brutal paramilitary group led by Zeljko Raznatovic, a.k.a Arkan”—a force supported by the Serbian government.

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