Zvornik massacre
| Zvornik massacres | |
|---|---|
Zvornik municipality on the map of Bosnia | |
| Location | Zvornik, Bosnia and Herzegovina |
| Date | April–July 1992 |
| Target | Bosniak, Romani and other non-Serb civilians |
Attack type | Mass killing and ethnic cleansing |
| Deaths | 491–700 |
| Perpetrators | Serb paramilitary groups |
The Zvornik massacre refers to acts of mass murder and violence committed against Bosniaks and other non-Serb civilians in Zvornik by Serb paramilitary groups (Arkanovci, Territorial Defence units, White Eagles, Yellow Wasps) at the beginning of the Bosnian War in 1992. It was part of a wider campaign of ethnic cleansing in the Bosnian War: by one estimate, 40,000 Bosniaks were expelled from the Zvornik district.
It was the second city in Bosnia and Herzegovina that was forcefully taken over by Serb forces during the Bosnian War. A total of 3,936 people were killed or went missing in the Zvornik municipality between 1992 and 1995 (of which 2,017 were Bosniak civilians), according to the Research and Documentation Center in Sarajevo. The U.N. established International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) convicted seven Serb officials, who were found guilty of persecution, forcible transfer and/or deportation, murder, unlawful detention, torture (crimes against humanity) and wanton destruction, plunder of property (violations of law of war).