The Kingdom of serbia : report upon the atrocities committed by the Austro-Hungarian Army during the first invasion of Serbia

144 AUSTRO-HUNGARIAN ATROCITIES

It should be noted that some of the victims enumerated in this statistical table suffered two or even more forms of torture. Each torture has been entered in its own category, so that the totals of the numbers entered in this table are higher than those given before for the total number of victims.

From all the preceding it is clear that the number of victims—children, women, young men, and old men—amounts to a comparatively high percentage of the population of the territory invaded. The evidence submitted to me also proves that the manner in which the soldiers of the enemy set about killing and massacring was governed by a system. It was the same system of extermination which is also reflected in the bombardment of open towns with shrapnel and fougasses, and in the systematic setting on fire of dwelling-houses and farm-buildings. It is impossible to look upon the atrocities that have been committed as the acts of a few apaches, such as certainly may be found in every army. This might have been believed, if the number of the victims ran into several dozens, but when they have to be counted by thousands, the excuse of misbehaviour on the part of isolated blackguard elements is no longer admissible.

Since the Austrians, especially after the direct accusations brought against them in the “ Gazette de Lausanne,” could no longer deny the massacres of the civil population, they have endeavoured, after the manner of the Germans, to justify themselves by declaring that the execution of civilians was rendered necessary by the hostile attitude of the population, which was accused of taking an active