Ahmići massacre

Ahmići massacre was the culmination of the Lašva Valley ethnic cleansing committed by the Croatian Community of Herzeg-Bosnia's political and military leadership on Bosniak civilians during the Croat-Bosniak war in April 1993. It was the largest massacre committed during the conflict between Bosnian Croats and the Bosnian government (dominated by Bosniaks).

The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in The Hague has ruled that these crimes amounted to crimes against humanity in numerous verdicts against Croat political and military leaders and soldiers, most notably Dario Kordić, political leader of Croats in Central Bosnia who was sentenced to 25 years in prison. The massacre was discovered by United Nations Peacekeeping troops of the 1st Battalion, Cheshire Regiment, drawn from the British Army, under the command of Colonel Bob Stewart.

Background

Ahmići is a village in central Bosnia and Herzegovina, located in the municipality of Vitez in the Lašva Valley. According to the 1991 census, 1,178 people lived in the village. 509 were Bosniaks, 592 were Croats, 30 were Serbs and 47 classified as "others".

Ahmići

Ahmići is a village in central Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is located in the municipality of Vitez in the Lašva river valley. In April 1993 during Lašva Valley ethnic cleansing, the Croatian Defence Council (HVO) forces indiscriminately attacked the village and massacred around 120 civilians, which is known as Ahmići massacre. Since then many survivors have returned and have begun to rebuild their homes.

Population

Ethnic composition, census 1991.

total: 466

these numbers are in dispute,see Wikipedia Ahmici massacre article for another pre-war (1991) analysis

References