Mašićka Šagovina killings
Part of the Croatian War of Independence
LocationMašićka Šagovina, Croatia
Date18-19 December 1991
TargetCroatian Serbs
Attack type
Mass killing
Deaths55
Perpetrators108th and 121st Brigade of the Croatian National Guard (ZNG) and Special Forces

The Mašićka Šagovina killings refers to the murder of at least 55 Serbs on 18-19 December 1991, by the 108th and 121st Brigades of the Croatian National Guard (ZNG) in the village of Mašićka Šagovina during the Croatian War of Independence.

Events and killings

Mašićka Šagovina is a village near the municipality of Okučani, in western Slavonia, Croatia. According to the 1991 census, there were 209 inhabitants in Masicka Sagovina, of which 189 were Serbs, 16 Croats and 4 Yugoslavs.[1]

On the night of 18 December 1991, Croatian forces prepared to launch an attack on the village, which had been held by Krajina Serb forces and was considered an important military fort.[2] The main participants in this operation were members of the 108th and 121st Brigades of the Croatian National Guard (ZNG) but also included other special forces.[2] It was part of the wider military operation conducted by the Croatian Army against the Yugoslav People's Army and SAO Western Slavonia Territorial Defense Forces (TO) known as Operation Hurricane-91. According to Croatian sources, the action was planned by Brigadier Josip Mikšić, the then commander of the 121st Brigade, and the attack was commanded by Colonel Ante Šolić.[3] Part of the brigade were also led by Pero Jelančić.[2]

Members of the 108th and 121st Brigades of the National Guard and special forces from the 363-strong "Svileni" group took over the village.[1] According to Serbian sources, 55 people were killed, including 31 civilians. According to the testimonies of survivors, ZNG forces set fire to houses and some twenty civilians hid in a basement. Several were killed and injured when an explosive device was thrown into the basement. Members of the TO along with civilians were subsequently killed after they came out and surrendered.[1][4] More local civilians were killed once the village was captured; some reportedly were tortured.[1] By the order of the Croatian army, 28 corpses were buried in Mašićka Šagovina, most of them by name, and they were collected and buried by their relatives.[3] Initially the remains of six people were exhumed from the graves. In 2013, the remains of 19 more victims were exhumed from the location of which 14 have been identified.[1]

Croatian losses from the operation battle amounted to 13 with dozens injured.[1] In Croatia, the action in Mašićka Šagovina is seen as "one of the first heroic battles in the Homeland War".[3]

No one has been held accountable for the atrocities.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Štrbac, Savo (18 December 2019). "Za zločin u Mašićkoj Šagovini još niko nije odgovarao" [No one has yet been held accountable for the crime in Mašićka Šagovina]. veritas.org.rs (in Serbian). Veritas Information and Documentation Center.
  2. 1 2 3 "Sjećanja pripadnika DIV-a - 'Orkan' otpuhao prokletu utvrdu" [Memories of DIV members - 'Hurricane' blew away the damn fort]. Večernji list (in Croatian). 30 December 2013.
  3. 1 2 3 "Зна се ко су злочинци а казне нема ни после 30 година" [It is known who the criminals are, and there is no punishment even after 30 years]. Politika (in Serbian). 17 December 2021.
  4. ↑ Doder, Dusko; Branson, Louise (19 July 1992). "There Are No Clean Hands as Yugoslavia Falls Apart". The Baltimore Sun.
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