An independent digital archive
A Personal Archive of War, Imprisonment and Survival
By his own account, Siniša Dvorski commanded a small Croatian reconnaissance and anti-terrorist platoon called ZEBRA in 1991–1992. In 1996 he was convicted of murder and sentenced to fifteen years, a verdict he has always disputed. From prison he used this website, crorambo.com, to publish statements, recorded messages and maps he drew from memory. This archive preserves that material in full and places it beside the documented history of the war.
The Story
Siniša Dvorski, also written Sinischa and known in court and press reports as Siniša Stracaboško Dvorski, says he grew up partly in Austria and joined the defence of Croatia in 1991. He describes leading the ZEBRA platoon on the Banija front around Sisak and Petrinja, being wounded twice in August 1991, and fighting in Bosnia in 1992.
Croatian newspapers record a different chapter: his conviction for the 1996 killing of former tourism minister Anton Marčelo Popović in Vrsar, and his release after fifteen years. He maintains he was framed and tortured into a confession. This archive does not decide between these accounts. It shows where each one comes from.
Words From Prison
I made these notes on maps out of my memory. it reveals confidential information of which I don’t know if they are already public, since I am kept in prison w/o internet access.
Siniša Dvorski, note accompanying the mass-grave maps, crorambo.com, September 2009 (original spelling)
While the author was held in Croatian prisons, crorambo.com carried his statements, audio messages, petitions and hand-annotated maps. Updates were signed by a “webmaster”, so someone outside kept the site running. The surviving files do not show how the material left the prison. Where file metadata or the website’s own announcements date an item, the date is given.
Prison Writing c. 2008 (inferred from the text)
The original welcome text of crorambo.com, written in English while the author was in prison. He introduces himself as the “Croatian Rambo”, describes the ZEBRA platoon, and sets out accusations he intended to bring before the tribunal in The Hague.
Contains allegations Under editorial review
Prison Writing April–September 2009
Road maps of Croatia annotated by hand with locations the author describes as secret mass graves. He says he drew them “out of my memory” while held in prison without internet access.
Contains allegations Under editorial review
Prison Writing File created 27 October 2008
A long petition in Croatian in which the author denies the 1996 murder of former tourism minister Marčelo Popović, asks for a retrial, and accuses named police officers of torture during his arrest.
Contains allegations Under editorial review
Prison Writing March 2008
Audio recording published on crorambo.com while the author was imprisoned. Not yet transcribed.
Original personal testimony Under editorial review
Historical Timeline
Grey markers are documented events, sourced to court records and institutions. Red markers are the author’s own account. Open markers trace the history of the website itself.
Personal account · 1991
The author states that the Croatian Army and secret service recruited him to organise the anti-terrorist platoon “ZEBRA”, which he commanded.
Historical record · 25 June 1991
Croatia declares independence on the same day as Slovenia. Heavy fighting follows in the second half of 1991.
Personal account · 23 August 1991
According to his medical-record statement, he was wounded in a five-hour battle and returned to his unit after three hours.
Historical record · 18 November 1991
The siege ends with the city’s fall. Most of the remaining non-Serb population is expelled within days.
Historical record · 9–17 September 1993
Croatian forces attack the Medak Pocket south of Gospić. The ICTY later charged that at least 100 Serbs were unlawfully killed.
Historical record · Summer 1995
Two major Croatian offensives in summer 1995, including Operation Storm, effectively end the war in Croatia that autumn.
Historical record · 27 March 1996
Hina reported the killing of the former minister on his doorstep in Istria. Croatian press later reported that Siniša Dvorski was convicted of the killing; he denies it.
Archive history · 6 February 2006
The domain is set up with its hosting provider (hosting records). The first videos are embedded via Google Video the same month.
Archive history · April–September 2009
Maps the author says he drew from memory in prison are published, followed by a “made in captivity” PDF in July 2010.
Personal account · 15 March 2011
The author dates his release to 15 March 2011. Večernji list reported his release from Rijeka prison.
Featured Documents
Document 1996–2011 (individual dates to be established)
Croatian newspaper clippings kept in the original website’s photo archive. They include coverage of the 1996 conviction for the killing of former tourism minister…
Contemporary document Under editorial review
Document 23 and 28 August 1991 (events); text undated
The author’s account of two wounds in August 1991, a rocket fragment in the ribs and a grenade fragment in the head, with the…
Original personal testimony
Document Documents c. 1991–1993; statement undated
Sixteen document scans published as “top secret classified material”, with the author’s statement that he was dismissed from the Croatian Army on forged signatures…
Contains allegations Under editorial review
Document c. 2008, updated 2011
The author’s own year-by-year account of arrests, convictions and war service from 1976 to his stated release on 15 March 2011. Despite its title,…
Original personal testimony Under editorial review
Photos and Videos
In 2011 the author uploaded thirteen videos to his YouTube channel: war footage from 1991–1992, tape transfers, and a long interview. They are embedded from YouTube and load only when you press play.
Historical Context
The author’s testimony refers to events that were later examined by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia and by Croatian courts. These summaries rely on those records.
Vukovar fell on 18 November 1991 after a three-month siege. Two days later about 400 non-Serbs were taken from the town’s hospital; 194 identified victims were killed at Ovčara that night.
Source: ICTY, Mrkšić et al. (IT-95-13/1) · case record
The ICTY indicted General Janko Bobetko in 2002 over the killing of at least 100 Serbs during the Croatian operation in the Medak Pocket. He died in April 2003 before trial.
Source: ICTY case information sheet IT-02-62 · record
Croatian offensives in the summer of 1995 effectively ended the war in Croatia. Generals Gotovina and Markač, convicted at trial in 2011, were acquitted on appeal in November 2012.
Source: ICTY, Gotovina et al. · record
About the Archive
crorambo.com went online in February 2006 as a plain HTML site. It has been preserved byte-for-byte as a snapshot. Every text, scan, recording and photograph in this archive was copied from that snapshot and keeps a record of its original address. Original texts are never corrected; where markup had to be simplified, the change is noted.
Editorial introductions are new, clearly labelled, and limited to what can be sourced. Material that names private individuals or accuses identifiable people is marked for review and kept out of search engines.
