Tuzla Column trial resumes

“Tuzla Column trial resumes” This is how B92 headlines this story.

Bosnian Moslems attacked an unarmed Yugoslav Army convoy after agreeing to allow them to peacefully withdraw to Serbia. 92 soldiers, most of them boys doing their military service, were killed.

Had the Serbians fired upon a similar convoy of Moslems, no doubt you would have described this as the “Convoy Massacre” and a “War Crime.”

It seems some people have already made up their minds about this incident and feel they know all the facts and know who is guilty.

But fortunately we live under the rule of law, which means that the trial fist has to be completed and the judges have to rule on the evidence and the facts and determine what really happened and who was responsible for what.

Lots of questions remain unresolved, with facts in dispute: who gave the orders, who started the shooting, how many were killed and wounded, etc.

But one thing that is clear is that the JNA soldiers in the column were in fact armed -- they were withdrawing with their arms and ammunition. The reason why one can see military vehicles exploding in video footage of the incident is that the vehicles in the JNA convoy were loaded with munitions.

“Tuzla Column trial resumes” This is how B92 headlines this story.

Bosnian Moslems attacked an unarmed Yugoslav Army convoy after agreeing to allow them to peacefully withdraw to Serbia. 92 soldiers, most of them boys doing their military service, were killed.

Had the Serbians fired upon a similar convoy of Moslems, no doubt you would have described this as the “Convoy Massacre” and a “War Crime.”

It seems some people have already made up their minds about this incident and feel they know all the facts and know who is guilty.

But fortunately we live under the rule of law, which means that the trial fist has to be completed and the judges have to rule on the evidence and the facts and determine what really happened and who was responsible for what.

Lots of questions remain unresolved, with facts in dispute: who gave the orders, who started the shooting, how many were killed and wounded, etc.

But one thing that is clear is that the JNA soldiers in the column were in fact armed -- they were withdrawing with their arms and ammunition. The reason why one can see military vehicles exploding in video footage of the incident is that the vehicles in the JNA convoy were loaded with munitions.