Indicted for Brutal Beating up

Saric, former officer, and Dzerahovic, former member of the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, ARBiH, are charged with having abused and beaten civilians, one of whom died, while others received severe bodily injuries.  

The indictment alleges that, on June 16, 1992 Dzerahovic and other soldiers took Andjelko Bozic and his two sons from a house in Bukovica village and that they beat them, asking them to tell them where their weapons were hidden.

“They took the older son to a cemetery to show them where the weapons were hidden but, given that they were not able to find them, Dzerahovic ordered them to continue beating him and shoot him. After that the soldiers leaned him against a tree, blindfolded him and opened bursts of fire around him. They then took him back home,” the indictment alleges.

It further alleges that, following the beating they escorted the three men through Banlozi and Tetovo villages and took them to “Hasan Kikic” school building in Tetovo, where the Commander of the military unit was situated.

“They took the father and older son into Commander Jasmin Saric’s office. Saric and other subordinate soldiers continued beating them with hands, legs and rifle butts so much that the father died, while the son lost consciousness a few times,” the indictment alleges.

It is further alleged that Dzerahovic and others then took the younger son, who was minor at the time, towards Mount Lisac and forced him to dig and search for weapons, which were allegedly hidden there. He was then taken back and handed over to the Commander, who then beat him, along with other soldiers, so brutally that he lost consciousness.

Soldiers transported Andjelko Bozic’s dead body to the emergency hospital building, where they dumped him out of the car and left. They took his sons to a prison in Zenica, where they were held in detention until late October 1992.