Two former Bosnian Army officers have been charged with an artillery attack on a playground in Vitez in June 1993 that left eight Croat children dead and five more wounded.

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The graves of the child war victims in Vitez. Photo: BIRN.

The Bosnian state court announced on Thursday that it has confirmed an indictment charging Mensud Kelestura and Hazim Jasarevic with participating in an artillery attack on civilians in the Podgradina suburb of Vitez on June 10, 1993.

The attack killed eight Croat children, while five others were wounded.

The youngest victim of the blast was nine-year-old Augustina Grebenar. Her 12-year-old brother Velimir also died. Also among the victims were brother and sister Milan and Sanja Garic, aged 12 and 18, as well as 15-year-olds Dragan Ramljak, Drazenko Cecura and Sanja Krizanovic and ten-year-old Boris Anticevic.

Kelestura, in his capacity as commander of the 325th Mountain Brigade of the Bosnian Army, is charged with ordering the Brigade Artillery Group to carry out the artillery attack on Podgradina, which was inhabited almost exclusively by Croat civilians.

He did so in the knowledge that the attack, carried out during a ceasefire in a populated area, could result in civilian casualties, the indictment says.

Jasarevic is accused of having implemented the attack order as commander of the Brigade Artillery Group, although he also knew that it was not a military target and that there could be consequences for civilians.

“It is further alleged that Brigade Artillery Group members subordinate to Jasarevic then fired one 120mm artillery mortar mine from a location called Podlazine in the municipality of Vitez, which fell between family houses on a children’s playground known as Kod Kosa,” the indictment says.

The shell was fired during a ceasefire in the conflict between the Bosnian Croat wartime force, the Croatian Defence Council, and the Bosniak-led Bosnian Army.