INDICTMENT FILED AGAINST SIX PERSONS FOR WAR CRIMES IN THE AREA OF VISOKO

The indictment refers to war crimes against victims of Serbian ethnicity in the area of Visoko and includes 109 individual acts of execution against dozens of victims and injured parties, which are alleged against the defendants.

A prosecutor of the Special Department for War Crimes filed an indictment against:

1.      Zijad Kadrić, born in 1951 in Čajniče, citizen of Bosnia and Herzegovina

2.      Hajrudin Halilović, born in 1959 in Prijepolje, previously convicted, citizen of Bosnia and Herzegovina

3.      Asim Hamzić, born in 1948 in Prijepolje, citizen of Bosnia and Herzegovina

4.      Miralem Čengić, born in 1960 in Pljevlja, with criminal record, citizen of Bosnia and Herzegovina

5.      Samir Selimović, born in 1969 in Kakanj, citizen of Bosnia and Herzegovina

6.      Amira Murtić, born in 1971 in Visoko, citizen of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Kingdom of Sweden

It is alleged against the defendants that during the war and armed conflict, in the period from May until the end of 1992, in the detention facility-camp located in the “Ahmet Fetahagić” barracks, they as members of the Municipal Staff of the Territorial Defence Visoko, General Staff of the Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina (A RBiH), the Public Security Station (SJB) and the military police of the ARBiH in Visoko, acted contrary to the provisions of the Geneva Convention on the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, and systematically and continuously carried out torture, inhumane treatment, robbery, physical and mental abuse of the victims, civilians of Serbian ethnicity from the area of Visoko, among whom were also women, children and minors, as well as the elderly.

According to the indictment, several hundred civilians from the area of Visoko and its surroundings were detained and abused in the said camp for a period of about eight months, they were kept without enough food, basic hygiene conditions, in unconditioned and overcrowded rooms, where they were subjected to daily abuse, beatings, torture, inhumane treatment, various forms of mental and physical abuse, and especially humiliating actions towards female prisoners and minors, and the first accused, instead of acting in accordance with his duties and preventing the torture and inhumane treatment he was aware of and knew about them, and to protect the detained civilians, he did not take any protective measures, which allowed the other defendants, as well as other unidentified persons, to continuously and systematically abuse the victims.

The actions that the suspects are charged with are described in 109 counts and sub-counts of the indictment, which the prosecution is going to prove by calling 90 witnesses and witness experts and tendering a large number of exhibits.

The indictment was forwarded to the Court of BiH for confirmation.