Lora prison camp
Encyclopedia
Lora prison camp was a prison camp
in Split
, Croatia
. It was active from 1992 to 1997 with mainly Serbian
residents of Split and prisoners of war being imprisoned. The camp was the site of human rights abuses resulting in reports to the United Nations
and the controversial trial
, acquittal
, retrial
and conviction of prison guards.
In 1991, during the Croatian War of Independence
, Yugoslav Federal JNA
forces were forced to withdraw from Split and the Lora naval
compound
was occupied by Croatian forces. The naval compound was converted to a prison camp in 1992 to house both civilians and prisoners of war. The camp prisoners were subjected to a variety of beating
, torture
and killing
s.
Guards from the camp have been sentenced for murdering and torturing prison inmates. Incidents of prison population being horribly beaten with fists, boots, rubber hoses, batons, baseball bats, plumbing pipes, chains, electrical conductors, tortured by means of forcing of prisoners to eat live snails with the shell, to eat feathers of killed birds, orange peels, live frogs, worms; "Telephoning" – linking of certain parts of body of the prisoner: ears, sexual organs, temples, fingers of hands or toes, on the inducted electric current
from the field telephone;
forcing of prisoners to lick the toilet bowl and WC floor; forcing of prisoners to masturbate;
hitting of prisoners on the testicles; forcing of prisoners to drink hot, muddy water with the spit of the prison guard;
placing and tying of a metal barrel on the back of the prisoner and drumming on the barrel; hanging of the prisoner so that his hands are tied with cuff-links and suspended on metal bars of the doors; forcing of prisoners to drink urine;
forcing of prisoners to have a public sexual and in particular homosexual intercourse with each other;
forcing of prisoner to eat half a kilogram of salt without any water;
placing in the mouth of a prisoner of a pistol barrel with the threat of firing the pistol;
forcing of prisoners to collect garbage in the prison camp courtyard with their mouths;
"dancing kolo folk dance" – in the courtyard prisoners would form a circle, holding their hands, and the first one and the last one would be connected with electrodes on to the source of electric current;
shaving of the prisoner without any water with a knife and forcing the prisoner to eat his own beard;
forcing of prisoners to tend to grass or cut grass around the prison camp circle in the part which is covered with mines - appeared daily there, and it was one of the most notorious places of organized torture in present day Croatia.
of eight Croatian military officers, members of the 72nd Military Police
Battalion
, began with charges of the torture
and murder
of Serbian and Montenegrin
prisoners at the camp. All eight were acquitted by Judge Lozina in November 2002 after a trial characterised by intimidation
and harassment
of witness
es, and alleged threats against the prosecutor
s.
All eight officers were retried with a verdict handed down by the Split Cantonal Court, War Crimes Chamber on March 2, 2006. The officers were all found guilty of war crimes and sentenced to between 4 and 8 years in prison although four of them were tried in absentia
.
Internment
Internment is the imprisonment or confinement of people, commonly in large groups, without trial. The Oxford English Dictionary gives the meaning as: "The action of 'interning'; confinement within the limits of a country or place." Most modern usage is about individuals, and there is a distinction...
in Split
Split (city)
Split is a Mediterranean city on the eastern shores of the Adriatic Sea, centered around the ancient Roman Palace of the Emperor Diocletian and its wide port bay. With a population of 178,192 citizens, and a metropolitan area numbering up to 467,899, Split is by far the largest Dalmatian city and...
, Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
. It was active from 1992 to 1997 with mainly Serbian
Serbs
The Serbs are a South Slavic ethnic group of the Balkans and southern Central Europe. Serbs are located mainly in Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and form a sizable minority in Croatia, the Republic of Macedonia and Slovenia. Likewise, Serbs are an officially recognized minority in...
residents of Split and prisoners of war being imprisoned. The camp was the site of human rights abuses resulting in reports to the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
and the controversial trial
Trial (law)
In law, a trial is when parties to a dispute come together to present information in a tribunal, a formal setting with the authority to adjudicate claims or disputes. One form of tribunal is a court...
, acquittal
Acquittal
In the common law tradition, an acquittal formally certifies the accused is free from the charge of an offense, as far as the criminal law is concerned. This is so even where the prosecution is abandoned nolle prosequi...
, retrial
New trial
A new trial or retrial is a recurrence of a court case. Depending on the rules of the jurisdiction, a new trial may occur if:*a jury is unable to reach a verdict ;...
and conviction of prison guards.
In 1991, during the Croatian War of Independence
Croatian War of Independence
The Croatian War of Independence was fought from 1991 to 1995 between forces loyal to the government of Croatia—which had declared independence from the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia —and the Serb-controlled Yugoslav People's Army and local Serb forces, with the JNA ending its combat...
, Yugoslav Federal JNA
Yugoslav People's Army
The Yugoslav People's Army , also referred to as the Yugoslav National Army , was the military of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.-Origins:The origins of the JNA can...
forces were forced to withdraw from Split and the Lora naval
Navy
A navy is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake- or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions...
compound
Compound (enclosure)
Compound when applied to a human habitat refers to a cluster of buildings in an enclosure, having a shared or associated purpose, such as the houses of an extended family...
was occupied by Croatian forces. The naval compound was converted to a prison camp in 1992 to house both civilians and prisoners of war. The camp prisoners were subjected to a variety of beating
Assault
In law, assault is a crime causing a victim to fear violence. The term is often confused with battery, which involves physical contact. The specific meaning of assault varies between countries, but can refer to an act that causes another to apprehend immediate and personal violence, or in the more...
, torture
Torture
Torture is the act of inflicting severe pain as a means of punishment, revenge, forcing information or a confession, or simply as an act of cruelty. Throughout history, torture has often been used as a method of political re-education, interrogation, punishment, and coercion...
and killing
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
s.
Treatment of prisoners
Guards from the camp have been sentenced for murdering and torturing prison inmates. Incidents of prison population being horribly beaten with fists, boots, rubber hoses, batons, baseball bats, plumbing pipes, chains, electrical conductors, tortured by means of forcing of prisoners to eat live snails with the shell, to eat feathers of killed birds, orange peels, live frogs, worms; "Telephoning" – linking of certain parts of body of the prisoner: ears, sexual organs, temples, fingers of hands or toes, on the inducted electric current
Electric current
Electric current is a flow of electric charge through a medium.This charge is typically carried by moving electrons in a conductor such as wire...
from the field telephone;
forcing of prisoners to lick the toilet bowl and WC floor; forcing of prisoners to masturbate;
hitting of prisoners on the testicles; forcing of prisoners to drink hot, muddy water with the spit of the prison guard;
placing and tying of a metal barrel on the back of the prisoner and drumming on the barrel; hanging of the prisoner so that his hands are tied with cuff-links and suspended on metal bars of the doors; forcing of prisoners to drink urine;
forcing of prisoners to have a public sexual and in particular homosexual intercourse with each other;
forcing of prisoner to eat half a kilogram of salt without any water;
placing in the mouth of a prisoner of a pistol barrel with the threat of firing the pistol;
forcing of prisoners to collect garbage in the prison camp courtyard with their mouths;
"dancing kolo folk dance" – in the courtyard prisoners would form a circle, holding their hands, and the first one and the last one would be connected with electrodes on to the source of electric current;
shaving of the prisoner without any water with a knife and forcing the prisoner to eat his own beard;
forcing of prisoners to tend to grass or cut grass around the prison camp circle in the part which is covered with mines - appeared daily there, and it was one of the most notorious places of organized torture in present day Croatia.
The trial
In 2002, the trialTrial
A trial is, in the most general sense, a test, usually a test to see whether something does or does not meet a given standard.It may refer to:*Trial , the presentation of information in a formal setting, usually a court...
of eight Croatian military officers, members of the 72nd Military Police
Military police
Military police are police organisations connected with, or part of, the military of a state. The word can have different meanings in different countries, and may refer to:...
Battalion
Battalion
A battalion is a military unit of around 300–1,200 soldiers usually consisting of between two and seven companies and typically commanded by either a Lieutenant Colonel or a Colonel...
, began with charges of the torture
Torture
Torture is the act of inflicting severe pain as a means of punishment, revenge, forcing information or a confession, or simply as an act of cruelty. Throughout history, torture has often been used as a method of political re-education, interrogation, punishment, and coercion...
and murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
of Serbian and Montenegrin
Montenegro
Montenegro Montenegrin: Crna Gora Црна Гора , meaning "Black Mountain") is a country located in Southeastern Europe. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea to the south-west and is bordered by Croatia to the west, Bosnia and Herzegovina to the northwest, Serbia to the northeast and Albania to the...
prisoners at the camp. All eight were acquitted by Judge Lozina in November 2002 after a trial characterised by intimidation
Intimidation
Intimidation is intentional behavior "which would cause a person of ordinary sensibilities" fear of injury or harm. It's not necessary to prove that the behavior was so violent as to cause terror or that the victim was actually frightened.Criminal threatening is the crime of intentionally or...
and harassment
Harassment
Harassment covers a wide range of behaviors of an offensive nature. It is commonly understood as behaviour intended to disturb or upset, and it is characteristically repetitive. In the legal sense, it is intentional behaviour which is found threatening or disturbing...
of witness
Witness
A witness is someone who has firsthand knowledge about an event, or in the criminal justice systems usually a crime, through his or her senses and can help certify important considerations about the crime or event. A witness who has seen the event first hand is known as an eyewitness...
es, and alleged threats against the prosecutor
Prosecutor
The prosecutor is the chief legal representative of the prosecution in countries with either the common law adversarial system, or the civil law inquisitorial system...
s.
All eight officers were retried with a verdict handed down by the Split Cantonal Court, War Crimes Chamber on March 2, 2006. The officers were all found guilty of war crimes and sentenced to between 4 and 8 years in prison although four of them were tried in absentia
In absentia
In absentia is Latin for "in the absence". In legal use, it usually means a trial at which the defendant is not physically present. The phrase is not ordinarily a mere observation, but suggests recognition of violation to a defendant's right to be present in court proceedings in a criminal trial.In...
.
See also
- MartyrsMartyrs (docudrama)Mucenici is a 2008 Canadian-Serbian feature docudrama film by Denis Cvitičanin.The film discusses the war crimes committed in the Lora prison camp in Split, Croatia, from 1992 to 1997 when mainly Serbian residents of Split and prisoners of war were imprisoned by Croatian forces...
- Film about the Lora prison camp - Index of Serbs of Croatia-related articles