During my early days as a soldier, I was mobilized to serve in the JNA. On April 12, 1992, I found myself leading troops towards Čapljina, with our command stationed in Mostar. I, along with 12 soldiers and two officers, was captured. Initially, we were taken to Metković, and later that evening, we were transported by bus to the “Lora” military camp near Split. I endured 125 days there, where I faced relentless beatings, torture, and interrogations… – recounted Veselin Bojovic, a man from Žablja who survived months of such torment.

The horrifying events at the former Military Investigation Center “Lora” near Split did not spare the lives of 14 Montenegrin reservists, captured during the JNA’s brutal campaign in Herzegovina in the spring of 1992. Their rights during this inhumane detention were meant to be safeguarded under the Geneva Convention and Croatian laws.

It is believed that the reservists from the so-called Nikšić-Šavnik group met their fate in “Lora”: Dusan Barovic, Luka Gazivoda, Borivoje Zirojevic, Ranko Vujovic, Dragoman Doknic, Dragan Jakovljevic, Pavle Popovic, Milos Perunovic, Ratko Simovic, Nedjeljko Jankovic, Miljan Susic, Radivoje Petkovic, and Radomir Vulić. The International Red Cross was only able to locate Luka Adzic, who tragically succumbed a few months later in Nikšić due to severe mistreatment.

The remains of 12 members from this group were eventually discovered years later in various locations across Bosnia and Herzegovina, including near Duvno, Mostar, and Trebinje, while the body of Miloš Perunović is still missing.

Since 2007, the Croatian Prosecutor’s Office has been conducting an investigation into the deaths of the Montenegrin reservists. Nearly two decades later, however, little information has emerged regarding the investigation by the Split County State Attorney’s Office, which has only disclosed that a criminal inquiry is ongoing and that the details are classified.

In response to inquiries, the Special State Prosecutor’s Office (SDT) did not provide clarity regarding ongoing investigative procedures in Montenegro concerning the “Lora 3” case, nor whether they have supplied documentation to Croatia upon request.

During the February 2023 Parliamentary Committee session, where a proposal was made to have the Supreme State Prosecutor’s Office reevaluate the cooperation agreement with Croatia regarding the prosecution of war crimes, Special Prosecutor Tanja Čolan Deretic mentioned that the investigation surrounding “Lora 3” had begun in 2009. At that time, she indicated that 11 individuals had been interrogated by the Supreme State Prosecutor’s Office, and their testimonies were forwarded to the County State Attorney’s Office in Split in 2012.

In 2016, the SDT initiated a new inquiry involving seven individuals, but progress was stymied for years due to Montenegro’s inability to utilize evidence collected by the Hague Tribunal until the summer of 2024.

Last year, prosecutors in Split made a formal request to the SDT for additional evidence, and efforts to collect that information are still underway…

I WOULD RECOGNIZE EVERYONE

Veselin Bojović shared with “Vijesti” that he could identify each of the guards responsible for the extraordinary torture inflicted upon him and other detainees at the “Lora” camp.

“It pains me to be the last survivor from Montenegro. I am so acutely aware that I believe I can recount every detail. I still vividly remember the actions of the camp commander Tomo Duic, along with Ante Gudic and Emilio Bungur… I would recognize them instantly. Trust me, they are not people; they are criminals,” Bojović asserted.

This resident of Žablja could not remember precisely when the group of reservists from Montenegro, known as the Nikšić-Šavnik group, arrived at “Lora”, as they were placed in the infamously brutal Block C. However, he recalls one haunting night filled with agonizing moans and desperate pleas for death – “kill me, kill me…”.

“We were separated by a wall. The torture continued throughout the night, with sounds of suffering all around… I recognized the Montenegrin dialect. The following day, everything fell silent, and the guards summoned me to clean the rooms where the torture had taken place. There was blood everywhere, body parts…” Bojović recounted, adding that one of the guards had ominously informed him:

“Your countrymen are now in a refrigerated truck.”

Božović was located in “Lora” by the International Red Cross, whose representatives documented his presence in one of the barracks on the 29th day following his capture. According to him, a representative from that organization visited him in the camp, and on August 14, 1992, he was transferred to Nemetin, near Osijek, where an exchange took place.

“I provided a statement to prosecutor Lidija Vukčević in 2012, recounting everything I could remember, and indeed, there was a lot to share. When I inquired about the case, I was told that engaging with Croatia was complicated. Since that time, I have not been contacted again. I once gave a statement in Trebinje, where other ‘Lora’ prisoners had also testified about the torture they endured in the Split camp,” Bojović explained.

Due to the crimes committed within the Split military detention facility, two non-final convictions have been handed down in retrials concerning “Lora 1” and “Lora 2”, three decades later.

THERE IS NO WILL TO INVESTIGATE

Legal advisor at the NGO Human Rights Action, Bojana Malović, expressed to “Vijesti” that there appears to be a lack of motivation to conclusively address the suffering of Montenegrin reservists from the spring of 1992.

In the “Lora 1” and “Lora 2” cases, Tomislav Duić, the commander of the Lora Military Investigation Center, has already faced conviction based on command responsibility for the suffering and torture of prisoners from Serbia.

“Command responsibility could apply here as well, given the multitude of testimonies documenting the brutal torture endured by Montenegrin prisoners in Block C, specifically naming Duić and his wife, Tatyana, as direct perpetrators of these heinous acts. The testimonies, highlighted in 2022 in the documentary ‘Evil Spring ’92’ by Nikšić Television, were submitted by HRA and Documenta from Zagreb—Croatia, which has continued to pursue criminal investigations based on these accounts. A request was subsequently sent to Montenegro to gather further evidence and data, but the public has not been informed about the specifics. It is clear that Mr. Veselin Bojović has yet to be contacted by the SDT to provide a statement, despite his critical testimony regarding his suffering in Lora. We have urged for the investigation to be broadened to include his case and sought a formal inquiry into specific suspects,” Malović stated.

When queried about the appropriateness of incorporating the “Lora 3” investigation into current discussions, especially since Croatia and Montenegro have commenced bilateral negotiations over unresolved issues, the human rights representative asserted that “now is the time to finally bring this issue to the forefront.”

“This is the right moment to integrate ‘Lora 3′ into the bilateral discussions between the two nations. In this context, Montenegro must adopt a stance that considers the rights of all war crime victims. The negotiations should encompass accountability for war crimes on both sides, necessitating an active pursuit by Montenegro for answers regarding its citizens’ fate. A focused approach could secure justice for the victims while fostering long-term stability and reconciliation through a mutual acknowledgment of the responsibilities from the nineties,” she asserted.

Malović is confident that Montenegro is not barred from actively pursuing the “Lora 3” case and maintains that “where there is a will, there is a way”…

“Nonetheless, revising the 2006 Agreement is paramount, as it would enable Montenegro to adopt a more advantageous position from which it could officially request updates on the status of inherited cases, including ‘Lora 3’, and justifiably anticipate detailed feedback regarding progress or issues that may arise in the proceedings. Providing this information would represent an obligation on Croatia’s part, which is not currently the case,” Malović articulated.

The Supreme State Prosecutor’s Office reported that in September 2024, they convened with representatives from Croatia to negotiate amendments to the 2006 Agreement. This Agreement is currently limited to war crimes perpetrated on Croatian territory by Montenegrin nationals; hence, in 2023, the Ministry of Justice, under then Minister Marko Kovač, urged the Supreme State Prosecutor’s Office to initiate the process for revising the agreement due to Montenegro’s disadvantaged stance.

Monument to warriors and criminals in front of “Lora”

In 2016, Croatia erected a monument in front of the “Lora” Military Investigation Center honoring all individuals involved, including those convicted from the 72nd Battalion of the Croatian Army Military Police in Split.

According to HRA’s legal advisor, this move represents a “disgraceful attempt to glorify wrongdoers.” “This action signifies that even progressing towards EU integration does not guarantee a shift in societal perceptions across all sectors. Such a trivialization of atrocities not only undermines justice but also signals a failure to grasp the significance of genuine reconciliation that acknowledges past wrongs,” Bojana Malović asserted.

HRA, alongside Documenta from Zagreb and the Center for Peace, Nonviolence and Human Rights from Osijek, protested late last December due to the screening of the film “The Truth” during the anniversary celebration of the 72nd Battalion, completely overlooking established facts regarding the war crimes in “Lora”.

“This behavior goes beyond merely disregarding judicially established facts; it re-traumatizes victims and their families while glorifying the offenders—a phenomenon we must not condone,” Malović emphasized.

Little is known about crime in Montenegro

The atrocities committed at “Lora” remain under-researched and under-discussed in Montenegro, as shown by the responses to a “Vijesti” poll where nearly unanimous agreement emerged regarding this issue.

From the respondents, a staggering majority—621 out of 747, or 83.1 percent—acknowledged awareness of the deaths of Montenegrin citizens in the Split camp, while 110 participants (14.7%) were unaware and 16 respondents (2.2%) indicated they did not know. Participants were allowed to select multiple responses regarding how they learned about the events at “Lora”, with 369 citing media reports, 246 from literature or documentaries, 217 through survivor testimonies or family accounts, while 85 had not been informed at all.

A significant majority—564 survey participants—believe that the “Lora” case should be prosecuted through the International Court of Justice in collaboration with Croatia and Montenegro, while 204 suggested Montenegrin authorities should lead the efforts and 154 pointed to the Croatian prosecutor’s office.

Most notably, 669 respondents deemed the erection of a monument to the military unit that oversaw “Lora” in front of the camp as unacceptable and offensive to the victims, with 10 individuals indicating they personally knew victims or survivors.

“My neighbor was tragically killed in Lora as a reservist. A person who was neither a nationalist nor a warhawk; I remember him as a YU rocker and bohemian. It is disheartening to see nationalists exploit these individuals,” one comment reflected.

Others voiced sentiments that Montenegro has refrained from addressing the suffering endured by reservists in “Lora” for decades.

“JNA reservists suffered horrendous torture and death there. Every administration fears Croatia…” lamented one participant.

Another respondent recalled how previous Montenegrin authorities distanced themselves from the issue when the bodies of the reservists were being retrieved and laid to rest in Nikšić.

“It’s disgraceful that the former government, which dispatched those brave men to war, disassociated itself from them, leaving no official presence at their funerals in Nikšić.”

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