Bosnia Raises Brcko War Crime Indictment

Ristanic, the former president of the Brcko wartime presidency, has been charged with participating in a joint criminal enterprise which lasted from April-December 1992. The intention of the enterprise was to persecute Bosniak and Croat civilians from Centar, Kolobara, Dizdarusa, Klanac, Mujkici, Meraje, Rosulje, Grcica and other parts of Brcko.

Ristanic has been charged with crimes against several hundred civilians illegally detained in 1992 on Brcko police premises, a hospital, the Luka prison camp, the Laser and Partizan companies, and the Yugoslav People’s Army barracks. All these sites were used for the illegal detention, abuse and murder of prisoners.

“Some of the executions were filmed by foreign journalists and caused worldwide condemnation. Prisoners and civilians were killed, tortured, abused in humiliating ways, and the crimes were committed by members of military, police and paramilitary forces, controlled by the defendant,” the state prosecution stated.

Several hundred civilians, according to the state prosecution, were killed or taken to unknown locations and never seen again.

“The charges also cover the persecution of non-Serb civilians, and mass robberies of Bosniak and Croat properties after they were expelled,” the state prosecution stated.

Ristanic has also been charged with the rape and sexual abuse of men and women in detention sites in Brcko and the destruction of mosques in Brcko.

State prosecutors said the investigation against Ristanic was opened in the Hague, and that this is the biggest indictment ever filed for crimes in Brcko.

Ristanic was arrested in May, but has since been released.

The indictment has been sent for confirmation to the Bosnian state court.