Bosnia Convicts Four of Dretelj Jail Camp Abuses

The Sarajevo-based state court on Tuesday sentenced ex-fighters Ivan Medic to seven years in prison, Ivan Zelenika and Edib Buljubasic to six years each and Marina Grubisic-Fejzic to five years for a series of crimes against detainees held by the Croatian Defence Forces.

They were found guilty of taking part in a widespread and systematic attack against Bosnian Serb civilians who were illegally detained at a military field hospital in Mostar and the Dretelj camp near Capljina, where they were abused, sexually tortured and used as forced labour.

A fifth defendant, Srecko Herceg, was acquitted of the charges that as deputy commander of the Dretelj camp, he took part in the abuse.

The trial chamber concluded that Serb civilians from the Stolac, Capljina and Mostar municipalities were attacked and then arrested and held prisoner.

“The chamber found that as members of the units which committed the attack, the defendants knew about the attacks,” said presiding judge Enida Hadziomerovic.

Buljubasic, the deputy commander at the Dretelj camp, beat a prisoner called Bozo Balaban, who died as a result of the abuse, the court found. He also attacked two other prisoners.

Medic was found guilty of attacking prisoners at Dretelj and forcing one to have sex. Grubisic-Fejzic was found guilty of attacking prisoners and forcing two to have sex with each other.

The four defendants were cleared however of charges of taking part in the illegal arrests and detention.

“The chamber did not find it proven that these persons could have affected the arrests and detention,” said Hadziomerovic.

Explaining the acquittal of Srecko Herceg, Hadziomerovic said that witness statements were not reliable.

“The prosecution did not prove during the trial who was the commander at Dretelj, which would have been key in proving that Herceg was his deputy,” the judge said.

In determining the sentences, she said that the court took into account mitigating circumstances such as that Zelenika and Medic helped some victims and that they are both ill.

Grubisic-Fejzic was given a lesser punishment since she was an “emotionally immature person” and that she is married to someone of a different ethnicity, she said.

“Buljubasic said he was sorry to all the witnesses. He admitted the crimes he was charged with and gave information which was unknown. He asked nothing in return, which is why this is viewed as a special circumstance,” the judge added.

Hadziomerovic also said that during the trial, information emerged about other alleged perpetrators and that she could not understand why they were not indicted too.

The verdict can be appealed.