Višegrad in 1992
The ICTY placed the two fires within a broader campaign of attacks against the Bosniak population of Višegrad municipality. After the Yugoslav People's Army withdrew in May 1992, murders, disappearances, sexual violence, beatings and destruction of non-Serb property increased.
This file focuses on two distinct but closely connected incidents adjudicated together in the Lukić case. It does not split each victim group into separate pages or present the judgment as a complete account of every crime committed in Višegrad.
The Pionirska Street fire
On June 14, 1992, a group of about 70 Bosniak civilians, many from Koritnik and including women, children and elderly people, was taken to houses on Pionirska Street. The Trial Chamber found that the victims were robbed and then confined in Adem Omeragić's house.
The house was set on fire after an explosive device was placed inside. The Chamber found that Milan Lukić closed the door, introduced the device and fired at people attempting to escape. Fifty-nine people were killed; only a small number survived.
The Bikavac fire
On or about June 27, 1992, approximately 70 Bosniak civilians were forced into a house in the Bikavac settlement. Exits were blocked with furniture and a garage door. The court found that grenades and petrol were used to ignite the building.
At least 60 civilians were killed. The Trial Chamber found Milan Lukić present and armed, participating in forcing people inside, attacking the house and setting it on fire. It did not find beyond reasonable doubt that Sredoje Lukić was present at Bikavac.
The 2009 trial judgment
On July 20, 2009, the ICTY convicted Milan Lukić of persecution, murder, extermination, cruel treatment and inhumane acts in relation to multiple incidents, including both fires. He received life imprisonment.
Sredoje Lukić was convicted of aiding and abetting persecution, murder, cruel treatment and inhumane acts, including the Pionirska Street crimes and beatings at the Uzamnica detention camp. He received 30 years. The judgment recorded dissents on parts of the findings, and this page does not erase those procedural details.
The 2012 appeal
On December 4, 2012, the Appeals Chamber upheld Milan Lukić's life sentence and the core convictions relevant to the two fires. It also upheld, by majority, Sredoje Lukić's convictions connected to Pionirska Street.
The Appeals Chamber reversed Sredoje Lukić's convictions for the separate Uzamnica camp beatings and reduced his sentence by three years, to 27 years. The reduction did not reverse his Pionirska Street responsibility. He remained acquitted of the Bikavac charges.
What the judgments do and do not establish
The judgments establish individual criminal responsibility for the defendants and incidents within the indictment. They do not transform an ethnic or military group into a collective criminal defendant, nor do they identify every person who guarded the houses, supplied materials or participated in the wider campaign.
The page uses the judicially established victim thresholds—59 at Pionirska Street and at least 60 at Bikavac—without converting approximate groups of captives into a false exact total.
Current status
The criminal findings and sentences are final. Milan Lukić remains sentenced to life imprisonment; Sredoje Lukić's final sentence is 27 years. The file is classified as adjudicated / partial because the two defendants' responsibility is established but wider operational accountability is not presented as complete.
Questions beyond the judgments
- Were all direct participants in the two fire killings identified and prosecuted?
- Can the names of every victim be reconciled across judicial and memorial records?
- What responsibility, if any, attached to officials outside the two defendants' chain of action?
- How should the sites and survivor testimony be preserved without sensationalizing the crimes?
Frequently asked questions
How many people were killed in the two fires?
The ICTY found 59 people killed at Pionirska Street and at least 60 at Bikavac.
Was Sredoje Lukić convicted for both fires?
No. His final conviction covered aiding and abetting the Pionirska Street crimes; he was not convicted for Bikavac.
Why was Sredoje Lukić's sentence reduced?
The Appeals Chamber reversed convictions concerning separate beatings at the Uzamnica camp and reduced the sentence from 30 to 27 years. It upheld his Pionirska Street convictions.