Petrinja killings
The Yugoslav People's Army (Serbian: Jugoslovenska Narodna Armija – JNA) confiscated Croatia's Territorial Defence (Croatian: Teritorijalna obrana – TO) weapons to minimize resistance.[5] On 17 August, the tensions escalated into an open revolt of the Croatian Serbs,[6] centred on the predominantly Serb-populated areas of the Dalmatian hinterland around Knin (approximately 60 kilometres (37 miles) north-east of Split),[7] parts of the Lika, Kordun, Banovina and eastern Croatia.[9] The request was denied and a bloodless skirmish between Serb insurgents and Croatian special police in March[10] prompted the JNA itself to ask the Federal Presidency to give it wartime authority and declare a state of emergency.Under Ministry of Defence control and commanded by retired JNA General Martin Špegelj, the four guards brigades comprised approximately 8,000 troops.On 16 September 1991, a group of 23 Croatian soldiers were interrogated and tortured by JNA troops and Serb paramilitaries for several hours before being executed by firing squad.[22] On 6 October 1991, Serb paramilitaries burned down the nearby village of Nova Drenčina, killing at least two Croats; a civilian and a ZNG POW.[23] On the 5 November 1991, four members of the Kozbašić family (including two young children, 8 and 13 years of age) were murdered by SAO Krajina forces.[25] Members of the Serb unit that murdered the Križević family also abducted and killed Stjepan and Paula Cindrić, both local dentists, on 6 January 1992.[33] In July 2015, the Croatian Justice Ministry confirmed plans to seek the extradition of Predrag Japranin from Australia, accused of murdering three Croat civilians from Petrinja in November 1991.