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The municipality of 'Konjic' is located in the region of Bosnia and Herzegovina known as northern Herzegovina, roughly 50 kilometres south of Sarajevo. It is a mountainous, heavily wooded area. The municipality extends on both sides of the Neretva River. The main town, also named Konjic, housed about a third of the total population. Today the population of Konjic municipality is estimated at 39,000 people.

Contents

Konjic during the Bosnian War

The Čelibići prison camp

Ethnic distribution

Famous people

Twin cities

External links

References

Konjic during the Bosnian War

During conflict in Yugoslavia, Konjic municipality was of strategic importance as it contained important communication links from Sarajevo to southern Bosnia and Herzegovina. During the siege of Sarajevo the route through Konjic was of vital imortance to the Bosnian government forces. Furthermore, several important military facilities were contained in Konjic, including the Igman arms and ammunition factory, the JNA Ljuta barracks, the Reserve Command Site of the JNA, the Zlatar communications and telecommunications centre, and the Celebici barracks and warehouses.
Although the Konjic municipality did not have a majority Serb population and was not part of the declared "Serb autonomous regions", in March 1992, the self-styled "Serb Konjic Municipality" adopted a decision on the Serbian territories. The SDS, in co-operation with the JNA, had also been active in arming the Serb population of the municipality and in training paramilitary units and militias. According to Dr. Andrew James Gow, an expert witness for the Prosecution, the SDS distributed around 400 weapons to Serbs in the area.
Konjic was also included in those areas claimed by the HDZ in Bosnia and Herzegovina as part of the "Croatian Community of Herceg-Bosna", despite the fact that the Croats did not constitute a majority of the population there either. Thus, there were HVO units established and armed in the municipality by April 1992.
Following the international recognition of the independent Bosnian state and the walk-out of SDS representatives from the Municipal Assembly a War Assembly was formed to take charge of the defence of the municipality. Between 20 April and early May 1992 Bosnian government forces seized control over most of the strategic assets of the Municipality and some armaments. However, Serb forces controlled the main access points to the municipality, effectively cutting it off from outside supply. Bosniak refugees began to arrive from outlying areas of the municipality expelled by Serbs, while Serb inhabitants of the town left for Serb-controlled villages according to the decision made by Serb leadership.^[1]
On 4 May 1992, the first shells landed in Konjic town, fired by the JNA and other Serb forces from the slopes of Borasnica and Kisera. This shelling, which continued daily for over three years, until the signing of the Dayton Peace Agreement, inflicted substantial damage and resulted in the loss of many lives as well as rendering conditions for the surviving population even more unbearable. With the town swollen from the influx of refugees, there was a great shortage of accommodation as well as food and other basic necessities. Charitable organisations attempted to supply the local people with enough food but all systems of production foundered or were destroyed. It was not until August or September of that year that convoys from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) managed to reach the town, and all communications links were cut off with the rest of the State. A clear priority for the Konjic authorities was the de-blocking of the routes to Sarajevo and Mostar. This objective required that the Serbian forces holding Bradina and Donje Selo, as well as those at Borci and other strategic points, be disarmed. This objective required that the Serbian forces holding Bradina and Donje Selo, as well as those at Borci and other strategic points, be disarmed. Initially, an attempt was made at negotiation with the SDS and other representatives of the Serb people in Bradina and Donje Selo. This did not, however, achieve success for the Konjic authorities and plans were made for the launching of military operations by the Joint Command.^[2]
The first area to be targeted was the village of Donje Selo. On 20 May 1992 forces of the TO and HVO entered the village. Bosnian government soldiers moved through Viniste towards the villages of Cerići and Bjelovcina. Cerići, which was the first shelled, was attacked around 22 May and some of its inhabitants surrendered. The village of Bjelovcina was also attacked around that time. According to witnesses heard by the ICTY, the Serb-populated village of Bradina was shelled in the late afternoon and evening of 25 May and then soldiers in both camouflage and black uniforms appeared, firing their weapons and setting fire to buildings. Many of the population sought to flee and some withdrew to the centre of the village. These people were, nonetheless, arrested at various times around 27 and 28 May, by TO, HVO and MUP soldiers and police.^[3]

The Čelibići prison camp

These military operations resulted in the arrest of many members of the Serb population and it was thus necessary to create a facility where they could be imprisoned and questioned about their role in war crimes during the siege of Konjic. The former JNA Čelebići compound was chosen out of necessity as the appropriate facilities for the detention of prisoners in Konjic. The majority of the prisoners who were detained between April and December 1992 were men, captured during and after the military operations at Bradina and Donje Selo and their surrounding areas. At the end of May, several groups were transferred to the Čelebići prison-camp from various locations. In its judgement in the Delalić case the ICTY found that some Serb prisoners had been beaten, tortured and several murdered by the camp guards, and two women at the camp had been raped (one of them Grozdana Cecez, identity of other woman is unknown). After these information the prison was closed according to the decision of Bosnian government in December 1992 and remaining prisoners released.^[4]

Ethnic distribution

According to the 1991 census, the municipality of Konjic had 43,878 residents: 23,815 Bosniaks (54.3%), 11,513 Croats (26.2%), 6,620 Serbs (15.1%), and 1,930 others (4.4%).^[5]
In 1997, roughly two years after the Herzegovian war ended, the demographics of the municipality had changed drastically. The municipality of Konjic had approx. 32,000 residents: 92,7% Bosniaks, 4,7% Croats, 2,4% Serbs, and 0,2% others. ^[6]

Famous people

★ Ante Pavelić - The Croatian Ustashi Poglavnik of the Independent State of Croatia (set up by the German Nazi's as a puppet state) was born near Konjic, in the then-ultranationalist Croat dominated western Herzegovina in 1889.

★ Ante Marković - the last prime minister of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.

★ Tijana Arnautović - model & Miss World Canada.

★ Goran Soldo -Croat born in Konjic played Football from 2003-2006 at Mercyhurst College.

Twin cities

★ 'Strängnäs', Sweden

External links

★ Municipal Website of Konjic

★ Webportal for the citizens of Konjic

★ Website of Konjic

References

1. Judgement ICTY vs Delic et. al, 16 November 1998 [1]
2. Judgement ICTY vs Delic et. al, 16 November 1998 [2]
3. Paragraphs 138-139, Judgement ICTY vs Delic et. al, 16 November 1998 [3]
4. Paragraphs 141-157, Judgement ICTY vs Delic et. al, 16 November 1998 [4]
5. Paragraph 121, Judgement ICTY vs Delic et. al, 16 November 1998 [5]
6. Paragraphs 129, Judgement ICTY vs Delic et. al, 16 November 1998 [6]