SHELLING OF SARAJEVO – INTERACTIVE MAP

SHELLING OF SARAJEVO – INTERACTIVE MAP

You can view the interactive map at this link.

SHELLING OF SARAJEVO – INTERACTIVE MAP

On the occasion of the 32nd anniversary of the massacre at the Markale market and the commemoration of the Day of Remembrance for all citizens of Sarajevo killed or wounded during the 1992–1995 aggression, the University of Sarajevo – Institute for the Research of Crimes Against Humanity and International Law presents the Interactive Map: Shelling of Sarajevo during the Siege, authored by Dr. Merisa Karović-Babić. The map presents the results of the author’s long-term research, previously published in the Institute’s editions (Crimes Against the Children of Sarajevo under Siege, 2010, and Mass Killings of Civilians in Sarajevo during the Siege 1992–1995, 2014), as well as partial results of research for the Interactive Map published on the Al Jazeera Balkans portal. Since the author also possesses extensive additional documentation not yet published, it is considered important that these materials be made available to a wider audience.

In this phase of the interactive publication, 116 locations have been mapped where three or more civilians were killed at the same time and place. Each mapped location includes slides and photographs providing the number and identity of the victims (surname, first name, father’s name, date and place of birth), as well as information on the date, time, and place of the crime (old and new street names), circumstances, and a detailed description of the massacre. Water supply points, bread distribution sites, humanitarian aid locations, markets, playgrounds, gardens, streets, public transport, and numerous other locations were targeted by shelling from positions of the Sarajevo-Romanija Corps of the Army of the Republika Srpska (SRK VRS), which had been the renamed 4th Corps of the Yugoslav People’s Army (JNA). In the besieged city, no location was safe, as civilians were also killed in their apartments, houses, and even in basements, with entire families among the victims. Investigation reports from the Prosecutor’s Office and the CSB of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as UNPROFOR documents relating to post-massacre investigations, are important primary sources for documenting these crimes. However, due to incomplete access to MUP documentation, empirical field research included interviews with multiple witnesses, which allowed for the reconstruction of events and the photographing of exact projectile impact locations. At some sites, memorials dedicated to the massacre victims were encountered, providing basic information on the date and time of the crimes. Some memorials were created based on the results of the Institute’s 2010 and 2014 studies. Authentic monuments and one of the city’s enduring symbols of destruction and civilian deaths are the modestly marked Sarajevo Roses—colored marks on asphalt from shell impacts.

For each victim listed in the table, multiple primary sources were used: extracts from the Civil Register of Deaths, medical death certificates, hospital protocols (University Clinical Center of Sarajevo, General Hospital “Prim. Dr. Abdulah Nakaš”, Emergency Services, Dobrinja Hospital), witness statements, burial society records (Pokop and Bakije), MAG documentation (Muslim Antigenocide Society), and numerous other sources.

Video materials produced by RTVBiH, TVSA, FIVA – Dobrinja film crews of Mevsud and Smajo Kapetanović, videos published on FAMI (Suada Kapić), photographs by Roger Richards and Johnny Saunderson (with permission), as well as photographs from the author’s archive and visual documentation from investigation reports by CSB and UNPROFOR, served as important sources for the images presented for each location on the interactive map.

Research results are presented according to municipalities where the crimes occurred: Stari Grad (locations 1.1–1.21); Centar (2.1–2.30); Novo Sarajevo (3.1–3.15); Novi Grad (4.1–4.38); Vogošća – besieged part (5.1–5.2); Ilidža – besieged part (6.1–6.8). Within each municipality, mass crime locations are numbered according to settlements and local communities.

The approach applied in this interactive map aims to objectify historical facts, reduce pervasive manipulation of crimes, and protect the dignity of victims. The content of the interactive map is dedicated to all victims of the barbaric siege of Sarajevo, citizens of Sarajevo and Bosnia and Herzegovina, future generations, and educational institutions to educate students and confront Bosnian society with the crimes committed.

Citation format: Interactive Map: Shelling of Sarajevo during the Siege, Merisa Karović-Babić, University of Sarajevo – Institute for the Research of Crimes Against Humanity and International Law, Sarajevo, 2026. (Abbreviated: Shelling of Sarajevo…, Karović-Babić, Institute)

Sources and Literature

International Criminal Tribunal of the former Yugoslavia – ICTY 
http://www.icty.org/, 
-    Presude i dokazni materijali u predmetima: 
-    ICTY, IT-95-5/18, Radovan Karadžić 
-    ICTY, IT-09-92, Ratko Mladić
-    ICTY, IT-98-92, Stanislav Galić
-    ICTY, IT-98-92/1, Dragomir Milošević
-    Dio dokumentacije Ministarstva za unutrašnje poslove RBiH (MUP RBiH), Centar Službi bezbjednosti Sarajevo (CSB Sarajevo). Odjeljenje za krim tehniku i KDZ, Sarajevo, Uprava za poslove i zadatke sprečavanja i otkrivanja kriminaliteta, Odjeljenje za kontradiverzionu zaštitu
-    Higgs Richard J, Izvještaj o incidentima otvaranja minobacačke vatre na području Sarajeva od 8. novembra 1994. i 18. juna 1995, 21. decembar 2006.
-    Izjave svjedoka ICTY. (Hanga Tsori 1995, Thomas Hansen 1995, Ž(sir) Rupert Smith 1996, Azra Šišić 1996, Berko Zečević 1996, Luis Fortin 1997, Thornberry Cedric Henry Reid 1999, Berko Zečević 2000, Baron van Lyden 2003, Jordan John 2005, Milosav Gagović 2007, Harry Konings 2006) 
-    ICTY, IT-98-29-T: Galić S, P3276, Komisija: mr. Berko Zečević, Amir Kurtović i Ahmet Omerović, “Elaborat o okolnostima i uzrocima masakra na pijaci 'Markale' izvršenog dana 5. februara 1994”, Tehnička obrada i podrška: UNIS – Institut Sarajevo, 7. februar 1994.
-    Galić, P2261, UNPROFOR Investigation Report – Sarajevo Market Explosion of 5 February 1994, 15 February 1994
-    Arhiva Instituta za istraživanje zločina protiv čovječnosti i međunarodnog prava Univerziteta u Sarajevu
-    Muamer Džananović, Merisa Karović-Babić, Sead Muhić, Masakri na Markalama Ubijanje i ranjavanje civila – suđenje zločincima, negiranje istine, otpor zaboravu, Izložba Univerziteta u Sarajevu – Instituta za istraživanje zločina protiv čovječnosti i međunarodnog prava, 2025.
-    Čekić, Smail – Šestanović, Muhamed – Karović, Merisa – Košuta-Mastalić, Zilha, Zločini nad djecom Sarajeva u opsadi, Institut za istraživanje zločina protiv čovječnosti i međunarodnog prava Univerziteta u Sarajevu, Sarajevo, 2010; poglavlje o lokacijama masovnih ubistava djece: 139-257.
-    Karović-Babić, Merisa, Masovna ubistva civila u Sarajevu za vrijeme opsade 1992‒1995, Institut za istraživanje zločina protiv čovječnosti i međunarodnog prava Univerziteta u Sarajevu, Sarajevo, 2014.
-    Kapić, Suada. [et. al, ur.], Opsada Sarajeva. Mart 1992 – mart 1996, FAMA International tim, Sarajevo, 2005. (snimci TVSA i RTVBiH)
-    FIVA Dobrinja - dokumentacija dostupna u arhivi Smaila Kapetanovića na stranici:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KGXmtAyaEo&ab_channel=Dobrinjauratu
-    Radio Slobodna Europa https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1CTTD3xLOA&ab_channel=RadioSlobodnaEvropa) 
-    Fotografije Johnnyja Saundersona
-    ABC News, Alison Cooper
-    Fotogalerija Roger Richards, Bosnia 1992, https://www.rogermrichards.com/gallery-image/Bosnia-1992-2016/G0000P4prP9DCcdA/I0000g0d9g5kFYfQ
-    Fotografije ustupljene ljubaznošću porodica Švrakić i Šehović
-    Vlastita arhiva
-    Monografija OŠ “Skender Kulenović”, Dobrinja-Sarajevo 1992‒1998, Sarajevo, 1998.
-    Oslobođenje 1992‒1995.