WHERE WILL THEY GO FROM HERE?

Amnestied Serbs from Croatia Arrive in Yugoslavia

Engagement of humanitarians, joy of families, silence of institutions and confusion among former prisoners marked two days in January - 11 and 13, when Krajina Serbs released from Gasinci camp near Osijek by amnesty of Croat President Tudjman, arrived in Belgrade.

AIM Belgrade, January 16, 1996

Cedo J., a twenty-one year old Serb from Dalmatia, a young man who had spent five months in Split prison, is not the first who has, having arrived to Belgrade, recounted his first impressions of freedom as follows: "I am confused, we have all lived for this day, rejoiced, tried to imagine in jail what it will be like once it comes... For the sake of that day, we have endured all those hardships and humiliations. Now, that day seems somehow ordinary to me, even wretched. Although, I cannot explain what I had expected. In fact, I don't know what I'll do and where I'll go next..."

Welcome full of symbolism

What they will do and where they will go next are questions which torment most of the total of 311 Krajina Serbs who decided to come to Serbia after they had been amnestied by Croat President Franjo Tudjman. According to the data of the International Committee of the Red Cross, 144 liberated Serbs expressed a wish to remain in Croatia for the time being. Many of them, the international humanitarians assess, will stay in Croatia for just as long as necessary for them to obtain Croat papers, protect their property and assert other of their rights. Whether they have made a wiser choice than their mates from prison who have joined the refugee population in Serbia - remains to be seen.

Many former inhabitants of Krajina, refugees in Serbia will remember January 11 and 13 this year for as long as they live, for these were the days when they welcomed and embraced again their sons, fathers, brothers or friends who had spent more than five months in Croat prisons, as long as has passed since their imprisonment in operation "Storm" until their arrival in Belgrade. Freezing cold from standing in the open and the inevitable Belgrade "koshava" (south-eastern cold gale), families of the imprisoned and released Serbs patiently waited for the moment they would arrive.

Like all other Serb situation, this one was also rich in symbolism. The first group of amnested Serbs was welcomed at the plateau close to the ICRC headquarters in Ruzveltova street, in front of the monument to liberators of Belgrade from 1944, that is, close to the entrance to the New Cemetery, and the other two at the dilapidated stadium of "Belgrade" Football Club.

The International Committee of the Red Cross whose activists had visited Krajina Serbs in Croat prisons during their entire stay there, took upon itself to organize transportation from Gasinci to Belgrade, to inform their families and prepare their meeting. Searching Service of the Yugoslav Red Cross was the only domestic organization which rendered services to relatives of the imprisoned Serbs.

Institutions of the former "Republic of Serb Krajina" did nothing to take care of these people, although the Krajina Bureau still "operates" in Belgrade. The regime in Serbia did not show much interest for the imprisoned men from Krajina either, so the reaction of an elderly citizen of Belgrade who was present at the welcome of the amnested Serbs should not be a surprise: when asked who he was waiting for, he answered: "I am not waiting for anyone in particular. I don't even know any of the imprisoned men from Krajina. I just felt an urge to come here and salute them, contrary to our authorities which act as if it were no concern of theirs whatsoever".

Among those present was Toso Pajic, the last minister of the interior of the "RSK", the man who had negotiated with the Croat party about conditions for surrender of the Kordun Corps of the Krajina army, the last military unit which had tried to oppose the Croat military operation in the beginning of August last year. The presence of another minister from the government of Milan Babic, Slobodan Peric, whose department had been in charge of social welfare, was also noticed. Milan Trbulin, former commissioner for refugees of the "RSK" and since not long ago the head of the Krajina Bureau in Belgrade was also seen at the gathering.

• Don't ask us anything, we are here as private persons - Slobodan Peric replied, without even trying to conceal his embarassment for being recognized in this, as he said, painstaking situation.

In distinction from him, Savo Strbac who was once the president of Krajina committee for exchange of prisoners and still is the first man of the humanitarian organization called "Veritas" did not conceal satisfaction with this event, happy that his activity on collecting and offering information about prisoners had helped their relatives endure the long waiting for reunion with them.

In Croat prisons

Amnested Serbs who had just arrived and who were under powerful impression of family embraces, mostly avoided conversation about the days spent in prison and treatment they had endured.

• We have agreed not to talk about it for the sake of those who have remained there, so as not to aggravate their position - Milan Lj. from Obrovac said.

Milo K. from Ravna Gora near Plasko said:

• It was hard, brother, but I'm alive! They did not torture me as they did the others. I was sentenced to six years for no crime whatsoever, for having defended my own field, for being an outlaw, a Chetnik, you know how they like to put it... And now, I have no idea where I will go from here. I am like a child now, I have no papers, I must start from the beginning, and I am 59 years old.

Predrag M. from around Knin, was arrested on Auguist 6, 1995.

• They killed five of my friends right away, and the rest of us were taken to Knin military barracks where they beat us for all 37 days, during the entire time we spent there. They tortured us in different ways, even connecting some of us to the mains in order to draw some kind of admission.

Milan G. from the vicinity of Ogulin remembered the four-day treatment in Sisak prison for evil he had endured there. He experienced the transfer to Zagreb military prison Remetinac as liberation, because "the attitude towards us was correct, with no physical abuse and no provocations of the prison staff who were concerned what we would say to the activists of the ICRC who asked us during every visit whether we were satisfied with the treatment and whether we had anything to complain about!"

Among those who had been spared all inconveniences was a man from Kordun who had spent his prison days, as he said, much better than his compatriots who had been taken into custody by the police in Serbia and sent to Arkan for training immediately upon their arrival to Serbia.

• It was all, actually, just a big farce with the trial as the climax. I was sentenced to five years of prison after the judge kind of apologized to me. The judge told me then: 'You know, sir, I cannot sentence you to less than five years, yesterday I sentenced an old man who had been a village sentry to three and a half years, and since you are much younger than he is, I must pass you a higher sentence...'

Janko K. from Petrinja said that his most difficult prison days had been those spent in the Gasinci camp near Osijek.

• We were together with Muslim refugees, we were not given cutlery, we ate with our hands. I still do not understand what we were waiting for over there and who needed us there during these two weeks which passed since the amnesty until our transfer to Serbia. Some politics again - Janko concludes.

According to ICRC data, another 389 Serbs have remained in Croat prisons. These data, however, are not final, because, as one can learn from different sources, this figure is in fact at least twice as big. According to opinions of some, by now former, prisoners, a certain number of the Serbs are in prison Kerestinac prison near Zagreb. Noone has registered them yet, since allegedly, Croat authorities deny that this prison is "operational" at all, refusing to allow international humanitarian workers see for themselves.

In any case, their destiny will be resolved by new amnesty which is announced within the forthcoming normalization of relations between Yugoslavia and Croatia.

The first group of liberated prisoners from Krajina who have arrived in Serbia, has actually faced new, this time, refugee uncertainty. After they rest and recover, sort out their impressions and plans, if given the opportunity to do it, they will make up their minds what they will do with themselves.

To a question whether they had expected to be welcomed by Milan Babic or Mile Martic, or perhaps even Slobodan Milosevic, a young man picturesquely gave the following answer:

• No, I didn't. What should I expect them for? What would I do with them? And what good would it have done, even if they had come?! This story has come to its end. A new one needs to be conceived and made meaningful. And then, who manages to fit in...

(AIM) Milka Ljubicic