Information from 1991 to 1996 on whether the following units of the armed forces of the Srpska Krajina in Croatia were involved in fighting in Bihac, Bosnia: 7123/72, RJ-7123/70-77, 7123/76, 7123/76 (Pacetin Battalion Command) and RJ-7123-72, and if so, on their activities there [HRV27781.E]

For information on the International Tribunal in The Hague and whether it has indicted members of the above-mentioned units, please consult the attached 29 August 1997 letter from the International Tribunal. For a list of the questions put to the International Tribunal, please consult the 26 August 1997 DIRB attachment. For references to Croatian Serbs in the Bihac region and for information on their involvement in fighting there, but without a reference to unit numbers, please consult the other attachments. Additional information on the above-mentioned topics could not be found among the sources consulted by the DIRB.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the DIRB within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

Attachments


Agence France Presse (AFP). 25 July 1995. "Croatian Serbs Reach Fringe of Bihac 'Safe Area': Bosnian Army." (NEXIS)

_____. 19 July 1995. "Serbs Launch Coordinated Attack on Bihac Enclave." (NEXIS)

_____. 1 February 1995. "UN: Croatian Serb Force Moving Against Bihac." (FBIS-EEU-95-022 2 Feb. 1995/WNC)

_____. 28 November 1994. "Serb Stranglehold over Bihac: The Main Events." (NEXIS)

The Charleston Gazette. 13 December 1994. "Serbs Let Fuel Pass, but Attack." (NEXIS)

Documentation, Information and Research Branch (DIRB), Immigration and Refugee Board, Ottawa. 26 August 1997. Facsimile sent to the International Tribunal, The Hague.

Human Rights Watch (HRW)/Helsinki. August 1997. Vol. 9, No. 9 (D). "Bosnia and Hercegovina: Politics of Revenge–The Misuse of Authority in Bihac, Cazin, and Velika Kladusa." New York: Human Rights Watch, pp. 3, 10-13.

International Tribunal for the Prosecution of Persons Responsible for Serious Violations of International Humanitarian Law Committed in the Territory of the Former Yugoslavia Since 1991, The Hague. 29 August 1997. Facsimile sent to the DIRB.

Los Angeles Times. 10 December 1994. Home Edition. Carol J. Williams. "U.N. May Stay in Bosnia, Envoy Says; Troops: Akashi, Citing Humanitarian Efforts, Says Peacekeeper Withdrawal is Only One Option." (NEXIS)

Radio Croatia Network [Zagreb, in Serbo-Croatian]. 12 November 1994. "Bosnian Serbs Intensify Bihac Offensive." (FBIS-EEU-94-219 12 Nov. 1994/WNC)

Additional Sources Consulted


Amnesty International Report. Yearly.

CSCE Digest [Washington]. Monthly.

Electronic sources: DIRB databases, Internet, LEXIS/NEXIS, REFMONDE (UNHCR database).

Human Rights Watch World Report. Yearly.

News from Helsinki Watch [New York]. Monthly.

RFE/RL Research Reports [Munich]. Twice monthly.

Transition [Prague]. Twice monthly.

Uncaptive Minds [Washington]. Quarterly.

On-line search of media sources.

Unsuccessful attempts to contact oral sources.