Letter to the head of the Centre for Public Security Banja Luka, Mr Stojan Zupljanin (Prot. no: 715/92 dated 11 September 1992)

WHY AREN’T YOU TAKING DECISIVE MEASURES TO PROTECT YOUR PEACE LOVING CATHOLIC CITIZENS, RELIGIOUS OFFICIALS AND BUILDINGS IN THE REGION OF BOSANSKA KRAJINA?

Dear Sir,
As the Catholic bishop of Banja Luka, I once again turn to you as the most responsible person when it comes to public order and peace in the entire region of the Bosanska Krajina, throughout which the majority of my diocese is located.

Since the beginning of the horrors of this senseless war, which unfortunately has not ended in these regions, the direct threat to many of my Catholics has increased.

You are more than likely aware that the majority of Catholics in this region did not take up arms, and did not want war and have in fact with all their might opposed the war from spreading to these regions. However, despite their not being guilty of anything, many have been abused, tortured and so far more than 150, as far as I am aware, have been killed. This is especially the case for the Prijedor, Kljuc, Kotor Varos and Bosanska Gradiska regions.

- You are also aware that the parish priest from Nova Topola, the Reverend Mr Ratko Grgic was, on 16 June 1992, abducted from his home in the middle of the day by armed uniformed persons and who, despite my interventions with both the civil and military authorities, obviously with yourself as well (!), to this day has not been heard of!

- You must surely be aware that my priests: the parish priest of Kotor Varos, Friar Ivan Franjic, the parish priest of Dragalovci, the Reverend Mr Marko Salic, the parish priest and dean of Stara Rijeka, the Venerable Mr Ilija Arlovc and the parish priest of Ljubija, the Reverend Mr Stipo Sosic - without any evidence of their guilt whatsoever, were horribly physically and mentally abused in detention centres and concentration camps for periods of between 12 and 80 days. They are now more or less invalids or rather candidates for an imminent death.

- You are aware that the sisters in the convents in Bosanski Aleksandrovac and Nova Topola have not bothered anyone, nor have they disturbed the local residents with whom they have lived for over 100 years and yet some unidentified uniformed persons a few months ago directly threatened their lives, obscenely and sadistically attacked them despite the explicit assurances by the police that they would be protected!

- You are aware that for no reason at all, as there were no battles waged anywhere in the vicinity, and despite the explicit command by the commander of the 1^st Krajina Corps, in the past three months many of my churches, 40 to be exact, in the region have been destroyed. A further 50 have been extensively damaged.

- You are surely aware that in the territory under your authority, armed uniformed persons are implementing frightening looting sprees (destroying civilian buildings, houses, property …) in many villages inhabited by Catholics who have nothing to defend themselves with but most often are compelled to flee. They are being chased out virtually like wild animals. This is especially true in Prijedor, Ljubija, Kljuc, Kotor Varos, Bosanska Gradiska and Sanski Most.

- You must surely be aware that armed “officials” in uniforms are conducting searches, especially of the houses of those people who are in regular contact with the parish community or are members of parish committees, choirs or the parish Caritas. They are regularly harassed and it appears that it is their connection to the Church which is their crime, so that they can be abused, robbed, abducted and even killed?! - In this regard, I wish to mention just one case of a particular parish committee member, a true peace keeper and ideal citizen in this town, Mr Marijan Vistica from Bosanska Gradiska who before the eyes of the police (!?) was pulled out of a bus by some civilians and taken to whereabouts unknown. Talk around town is that he was immediately killed and his body thrown into the Sava River!

It is interesting to note that your employees were hardly ever interested in solving this and similar cases, when they were reported to them. I will only mention the cases of the demolition of the churches in Prijedor, Kulasi or the attacks conducted against the Cathedral in Banja Luka or the parish church in Mahovljani or Nova Topola or Ljubija …

Everyday, many of my faithful who manage to come to me tell their woeful tales of insecurity in their own homes, while many others call me on the phone and ask for protection (!) from the constant looting and threats to their lives! Several more civilians were killed in the past few days in the parishes of Ljubija and Surkovac! Tens of thousands of my faithful are putting pressure on me to re-settle them because the feeling of complete helplessness is too much for them to bear anymore. This is especially true of the parishes - Prijedor, Bosanska Gradiska, Kotor Varos, Kljuc, Sanski Most, Mrkonjic Grad and more and more the Banja Luka region itself.

Sir, in one of the replies to a protest I lodged about the constant oppression against the Catholic officials and buildings in this region, the Commander of the 1^st Krajina Corps, General-major Talic amongst other things wrote, “I consider that the official authorities, unfortunately, are not taking strong enough measures. As such I request that you mention my name and contact Mr Stojan Zupljanin, the head of the Centre for Public Security, so that he urgently becomes involved and takes the necessary measures to resolve these issues”.

I turn to you after I managed to visit the majority of these regions - escorted by the military police - where I myself witnessed the destruction and looting taking place in my diocese. I would ask that you yourself personally, or your delegated deputies, establish the true situation faced by the Catholic population under ‘your authority’ and truly undertake the necessary measures to ensure some level of protection and security against the crimes being conducted by certain individuals and gangs who are destroying and killing where they can! Either we will build justice and truth on our ruins to ensure a better future for our people or we will leave it all to someone else! While we are in any position of power and hold official positions we must behave responsibly - both you and I!

I expect your reply and decisive measures!

With respects!

Dr. Franjo Komarica,
Bishop of Banja Luka

c.c.
- Commander 1^st Krajina Corps - Banja Luka
- President of the Town Council, Banja Luka
- Papal Nunciature - Belgrade
- Secretariat of the BC B-H - Sarajevo
- Secretariat of the CBC - Zagreb

Next: THE DRAMATIC DETERIORATION IN THE SITUATION FACED BY THE CATHOLICS IN THE BOSANSKA KRAJINA REGION