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Bosnian Army Commander Arrested Over Serbs’ Deaths

8. December 2015.00:00
Former Bosnian Army Third Corps commander Sakib Mahmuljin was arrested on suspicion of failing to prevent Islamic volunteer fighters committing war crimes against Serb civilians and prisoners of war.

This post is also available in: Bosnian

The Bosnian State Investigation and Protection Agency arrested Mahmuljin on Tuesday morning on suspicion that as the commander of the Bosnian Army Third Corps, during battles in the village of Vozuca near Zavidovici from May to October 1995, he failed to stop or punish crimes against civilians and prisoners of war.

According to the prosecution, the crimes were committed by Islamic volunteers from the El Mujahedin unit, which was under the control of the Bosnian Army Third Corps.

“Members of the El Mujahedin unit killed around 50 Serb prisoners who they had previously taken over from the Bosnian Army Third Corps units which captured them during the battles,” the prosecution said.

The prosecution said that Mahmuljin had information that members of the El Mujahedin unit were preparing to commit these crimes.

It also suspects Mahmuljin of inhumanely treating 20 prisoners of war and civilians.

Mahmuljin will be handed over to the prosecution, which will then decide whether to file a custody motion.

The investigation into alleged war crimes in Vozuca was first opened by the Hague Tribunal prosecution, and then transferred to Bosnia and Herzegovina.

In March this year, the Bosnian prosecution said that it had stopped the investigation into Mahmuljin and Sefik Dzaferovic, the president of the Bosnian parliament’s House of Representatives, over the crimes in Vozuca.

The prosecution said at the time that the decision not to investigate the two men was made after reviewing thousands of army and police documents.

But this sparked anger among Bosnian Serb victims’ groups, which appealed against the decision, claiming it was politically motivated and anti-Serb.

Džana Brkanić


This post is also available in: Bosnian