Bosnian Camp Guard Jailed for Abusing Wartime Prisoner

The Bosnian court upheld the two-year jail sentence given to former Croatian Defence Forces member Tonco Rajic for mistreating a civilian prisoner at the Dretelj detention camp near Capljina in August 1992.

The third-instance chamber of the Bosnian state court on Thursday upheld Tonco Rajic’s two-year prison sentence for committing a war crime at the Dretelj detention camp.

Autor:

Admir Muslimović

28. March 2019. | 15:33

This post is also available in: Bosnian

Rajic, a former member of the Croatian Defence Forces, was found guilty of mistreating a civilian who was unlawfully detained at the camp in August 1992.

The verdict found that Rajic insulted and mistreated a female prisoner, then cocked an automatic rifle with the intention of killing her, refusing an order to drop the weapon.

His action caused severe mental distress and suffering to the victim, the court found.

Under a first-instance verdict handed down in November 2017, Rajic was acquitted, but the appeals chamber quashed the verdict and the trial began again.

Following the retrial, the appeals chamber sentenced Rajic to two years in prison.

Rajic’s lawyer filed another appeal, but this was rejected on Thursday.

Thursday’s latest verdict cannot be appealed.

Rajic originally stood trial with another former detention camp guard, Ivan Medic, was sentenced to 12 years in prison for crimes at Dretelj.

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