Doljani massacre

The Doljani massacre also known as the Sovići massacre was a war crime committed on Bosniaks by Croatian Defence Forces (HVO) on April 17, 1993, and afterwards in the villages of Doljani and Sovići.

According to ICTY judgment in Naletilić-Martinović case Croat forces attacked the villages of Doljani and Sovići, about 50 kilometers north of Mostar in the morning on April 17, 1993. The attack was part of a larger Croatian Defence Forces offensive aimed at taking Jablanica, the main Bosnian Muslim dominated town in the area. The HVO commanders had calculated that they needed two days to take Jablanica. The location of Sovići was of strategic significance for the HVO as it was on the way to Jablanica. For the Bosnian Army it was a gateway to the plateau of Risovac, which could create conditions for further progression towards the Adriatic coast.

The larger HVO offensive on Jablanica had already started on April 15, 1993. The artillery destroyed the upper part of Sovici. The Bosnian Army was fighting back, but at about five p.m. the Bosnian Army commander in Sovici, surrendered. Approximately 70 to 75 soldiers surrendered. In total, at least 400 Bosnian Muslim civilians were detained. The HVO advance towards Jablanica was halted after a cease-fire agreement had been negotiated.

A number of captured Bosniaks were tortured and killed by Kažnjenička Bojna, a unit known by its cruelty against Bosniaks, commanded by Mladen Naletilić "Tuta". Those who were not killed, they were transported to Heliodrom concentration camp or other camps such as the one in Ljubuški. According to the Croatian Archive that was used in ICTY trials, after the conflict stopped all Muslim houses were burned and two mosques were torn down in accordance with the orders received from the superior command.