Mujcinovic and Hrustic: Eight Year Sentence for Srebrenik Crimes

Zurahid Mujcinovic, former member of the Hunting brigade of the Bosnian Army in Srebrenik, was found guilty of abusing Bosnian Serb civilians detained in the Youth Center in Rapatnica, in the municipality of Srebrenik, central Bosnia, in June and July 1992.

According to the verdict, Mujcinovic tortured Pero Djukic by beating him, burning him with a soldering iron, giving him electroshocks through a cable attached to his ears and pouring salt over his wounds.

Mujcinovic, also tortured Drago Djukic by inserting a needle and syringe under his nails, burned him with a soldering iron and forced him to eat salt.

“As aggravating circumstances, the Court looked at the level of suffering of the victims. Burning with a soldering iron, poking with needles and torturing with salt causes horror in any reasonable man. The defendant Mujcinovic also contacted witnesses and the victims several times to apply pressure so they would change their statements,” said Davorin Jukic, the presiding judge.

As mitigating circumstances, the court looked at the fact that Mujcinovic is of poor health, that he is a family man and father of underage children.

Pero and Drago Djukic were instructed to demand compensation in a civil suit.

The defendant Sulejman Hrustic, also former member of the Bosnian Army, was found not guilty of abusing Drago Djukic. Judge Jukic said there was a “lack of evidence” which would point to him as the perpetrator of crimes in Rapatnica.

„The only witness who spoke about the alleged participation of Hrustic in this abuse was Drago Djukic and considering his statement was not verified by any other witness or piece of evidence, the court cannot base its entire verdict on one testimony,” said judge Jukic.

The verdict can be appealed.