On 29 October 1991, members of the Požega civil protection and police began enforcing an evacuation order for all residents from 26 villages with exclusively or predominantly Serb populations, located in the Požega Valley at the foothills of the Papuk and Psunj mountains. The order had been issued the previous day by the Crisis Staff of the Slavonska Požega Municipality. The evacuation, which was to be completed within 48 hours, covered the villages of Oblakovac, Čečavački Vučjak, Jeminovac, Šnjegavić, Čečavac, Koprivna, Rasna, Pasikovci, Kujnik, Orljavac, Crljenci, Sloboština, Milivojevci, Podsreće, Vranić, Nježić, Požeški Markovac, Klisa, Ozdakovci, Poljanska, Kantrovci, Gornji Vrhovci, Lučinci, Oljasi, all specifically named in the order, with Smoljanovci and Ruševac added later, where according to the 1991 census, 2,120 people lived. Of these villages, only Poljanska, Orljavac, and Lučinci had mixed ethnic populations, while the others were inhabited exclusively by Serbs. The evacuation did not include the Croatian villages of Ivandol, Deževci, Perenci, Toranj, and Biškupci, which border the Serb villages. These villages were designated as “collection areas” for the residents.

Period: From October to November 1991

Description of crimes: The written evacuation order, posted in public places on 28 October 1991, stated that “recently, Chetnik terrorist forces and JNA units have increasingly endangered the civilian population in the western part of the Slavonska Požega Municipality through their combat activities” and that the evacuation was carried out “to protect their lives and to enable a more successful defence of the defensive positions of Croatian forces in that area.” Some residents of the 26 villages subject to the evacuation order complied as demanded by the Crisis Staff, but others chose to remain in their homes. Although the population was promised during the evacuation that they would find everything as they left it upon their return, soon after the evacuation, looting, arson, and mining of Serb houses began. According to some data, over the following months, more than 600 residential and farm buildings were burned and mined. Residents of the villages Čečavački Vučjak and Šnjegavić largely refused to evacuate, and some of the residents from the evacuated villages sought refuge in those villages. On 10 October 1991, units of the 121st Brigade from Nova Gradiška and the 123rd Brigade from Slavonska Požega began a large-scale clearing operation in the areas of the villages Čečavački Vučjak, Šnjegavić, Jeminovac, Sinlije, and Ruševac. During the “clearing” operations, Croatian forces killed at least forty residents in these villages. The majority of those killed were Serbs, mostly elderly civilians. On 11 December 2000, a mass grave was excavated in Šnjegavić, where the bodies of 13 people were found. Identification of the remains is still pending. The remains of most of the killed have yet to be found.

Missing and killed civilians by village:

Šnjegavić

  1. Milošević, Mileva (Marko), born 25 August 1938
  2. Protić, Bosiljka (Sava), born 18 May 1908
  3. Protić, Draga (Dušan), born 10 May 1931
  4. Protić, Milan (Jovo), born 19 September 1928
  5. Protić, Ljubomir (Mladen), born 10 June 1938
  6. Protić, Stanko (Ignjatija), born 14 March 1922
  7. Radmilović, Ana (Stojan), born 27 July 1927
  8. Radmilović, Anka (Luka), born 27 September 1938
  9. Radmilović, Ilija (Stanko), born 2 August 1951
  10. Radmilović, Milan (Stevan), born 7 January 1935
  11. Stanković, Anđa (Nikola), born 23 May 1921
  12. Živković, Janko (Nikola), born 24 June 1924

Čečavački Vučjak

  1. Carević, Ljubica (Stevan), born 14 January 1926
  2. Carević, Milan (Dimitrije), born 26 February 1920
  3. Dulić, Jagoda (Petar), born 19 August 1917
  4. Dulić, Mile (Marko), born 15 November 1952
  5. Dulić, Radojka (Savo), born 25 October 1943
  6. Ivanović, Branko (Joco), born 9 November 1964, perished in combat
  7. Ivanović, Mileva (Ivan), born 21 September 1944
  8. Trkulja, Marija (Marko), born 27 September 1937
  9. Starčević, Jagoda (Petar), born 1 January 1905 / 1 January 1911
  10. Starčević, Milka (Stevan), born 25 July 1919
  11. Starčević, Radojka/Anđa (Lazo), born 14 July 1928
  12. Starčević, Rajko (Ljubomir), born 1 March 1956, status unclear
  13. Šimić, Milka (Božo), born 4 October 1914
  14. Šimić, Milka (Marko), born 21 September 1930
  15. Živković, Nikola (Janko), born 25 October 1950

Ruševac

  1. Čičković, Kata (Luka), born 23 November 1911
  2. Miličić, Jagoda (Pavle), born 1 January 1911
  3. Ranosavljević, Ana/Stana (Kojo), born 10 February 1909
  4. Ranosavljević, Mijo (Ćiro/Nestor), born 14 October 1905
  5. Ranosavljević, Stevo (Mijo), born 4 December 1928
  6. Trlajić, Anđa (Jakov), born 2 May 1925
  7. Trlajić, Ljuba (Jakov), born 27 April 1929
  8. Vasić, Đuro/Georgije (Andrija), born 18 April 1912

Čečavac

  1. Radić, Jovo (Kosta), born 14 January 1915
  2. Radić, Mila (Dušan), born 6 May 1919

Jeminovac

  1. Mijatović, Mile (Pajo), born 1 January 1907
  2. Radmilović, Milan (Jovo), born 10 October 1910

Oljasi

  1. Davidović, Nikola, born 1 January 1947, found dead in the forest two months after the military operation, likely died from natural causes

Ozdakovci

  1. Milinković, Marija (Petar), born 1 January 1907, circumstances of death unconfirmed

Sinlije

  1. Bamburač, Svetozar (Lazo), born 12 December 1920
  2. Živković, Jagoda (Milan), born 1 January 1918
  3. Živković, Jovan (Mile), born 1 January 1914

Judicial consequences: On March 17, 2000, the first criminal complaint was filed against unknown individuals connected to this crime, but to date, no one has been held accountable for these crimes.