Serb forces in Bosnia have regularly used rape and harassment as part of their campaign to force Muslims and Croats to flee their homes, Amnesty International said Thursday.
The human rights organization said that in some cases, the violations were carried out "in an organized or systematic way, with the deliberate detention of women for the purpose of rape and sexual abuse."Amnesty International said all warring factions were guilty of human rights abuses, but that Serbs carried by far the most blame.
"Incidents involving the sexual abuse of women appear to fit into a wider pattern of warfare, characterized by intimidation and abuses against Muslims and Croats which have led thousands to flee or to be compliant when expelled from their home areas out of fear of further violations," said the group, based in London.
Bosnian Serbs have been widely accused of pursuing "ethnic cleansing" campaigns to clear other ethnic groups from areas the Serbs have seized. At least 18,000 people have died in the Serbs' rebellion against a vote by majority Muslims and Croats to make Bosnia independent from Serb-dominated Yugoslavia.
Amnesty's legal officer, Nick Howen, said it was impossible to estimate the true number of rape victims. He said there was no evidence to back up the figure of 20,000 cited by the European Community.
The group's report was based on interviews conducted by Amnesty International investigators and work by other human rights groups.