JUSTICE HAS GONE MISSING IN "MAHMULJIN CASE"

SARAJEVO, NOVEMBER 28 /SRNA/ – The judiciary of BiH still does not know the whereabouts of Sakib Mahmuljin, who has not reported to serve his eight-year prison sentence for three years, and it seems that no one, except the families of murdered Serbs, is interested in what is happening with criminals like him or where the goddess of justice has strayed when it comes to Serb victims.

After the Appellate Panel of the Court of BiH handed down a final verdict on April 22, 2022, for monstrous crimes committed against captured Serb civilians, medical personnel, and soldiers in the areas of Vozuća and Zavidovići in 1995, all trace of Mahmuljin, commander of the Third Corps of the so-called Army of BiH, disappeared. Not even an Interpol warrant has helped locate him and bring him to serve his sentence.

Mahmuljin was convicted in April three years ago, but was only summoned to begin serving his sentence in November. In those six months, he allegedly fled in an unknown direction.

STOP ALL HEARINGS UNTIL MAHMULJIN IS IMPRISONED

Branimir Kojić, president of the Organization of Families of Captured and Fallen Soldiers and Missing Civilians of Srebrenica, told SRNA that Republika Srpska must protect all Serbs currently on trial before the Court of BiH and must prevent any further hearings until Mahmuljin is arrested and placed behind bars.

He emphasized that Mahmuljin remains free primarily because the Court of BiH "did everything possible to save him from the long prison sentence he unquestionably deserved".

"According to the latest information we have obtained, he is in Izmir, living in a vacation house belonging to the Izetbegović family. A year ago, the Ministry of Justice said he had not been located in Turkiye, although earlier reports claimed he was receiving medical treatment there. Is it really possible that a serious country like Turkiye cannot locate a war criminal?" Kojić asked.

He stressed that Mahmuljin is not worthy of anyone's protection, as his rightful place is behind bars.

SUSPICION THAT THE COURT OF BiH AND OTHERS KNOW PERFECTLY WELL WHERE MAHMULJIN IS

Božica Živković-Rajilić, president of the Association of Women Victims of War of Republika Srpska, said the situation is clearly being covered up so that the "Mahmuljin case" can fade into oblivion.

"An Interpol warrant was issued, but Mahmuljin has not been found or brought in to serve his sentence. Considering how federal politicians boast about their cooperation and family ties with Turkiye, we are not convinced that the truth is being told and that the Court of BiH and other competent bodies do not know where this convicted man is," she said.

She added that no one in Republika Srpska believes the war criminal will ever actually end up behind bars.

"On the contrary, in the Federation of BiH, when his name is mentioned, he is spoken of as a hero and a fighter for an Islamic BiH. And the fact that an entire people in Central Bosnia was destroyed, that genocide was committed against Serbs, that Serb heads were cut off... Does anyone at the Court of BiH care? That is the kind of justice Serbs have in BiH. According to the Court's work, it appears no one needs to answer for killing Serbs and destroying everything Serbian," she said.

SHAMEFULLY LENIENT SENTENCE FOR MONSTROUS CRIMES AND THE ERASURE OF 30 SERB VILLAGES

Živković-Rajilić stated that Mahmuljin commanded the Third Corps of the so-called Army of BiH, which included the notorious "El Mujahideen" unit composed of foreign mercenaries and terrorists who committed the most brutal crimes against Serbs in Central Bosnia.

"Under his command, everything Serbian in the areas around Zavidovići, Žepče, and Maglaj was burned and destroyed. There is no trace that about thirty Serb villages ever existed there. Of all Serbian suffering throughout BiH, this was a textbook example of genocide. Everything was annihilated - civilians, soldiers, property, livestock… Everything wiped from the face of the earth," she said.

She emphasized that the most savage crimes were committed by the mujahideen in the regions of Ozren and Vozuća.

"Captured Serbs were tortured, beaten, murdered, and butchered; their ritual was to behead prisoners with axes. Eleven women were also captured and held like livestock. Very little is known with certainty about their suffering and fate," Živković-Rajilić said.

She added that Mahmuljin was punished as though for petty theft or a traffic offense.

"What is even more painful and insulting to Serbs, especially the victims, is the fact that Mahmuljin was allowed to defend himself while free throughout the entire process. Even after the final second-instance judgment, he was released and told to report voluntarily to prison!" she said.

She noted that the trial lasted nearly a decade, as the first hearing was held in 2015.

Given that the Court of BiH employs judges and prosecutors who, during the war, had been members of Bosniak units, she said few believed the court would act impartially, let alone deliver an adequate ruling.

"And that is exactly what happened. Mahmuljin was initially sentenced to a shameful 10 years in prison. The second-instance and final judgment was even more disgraceful—the sentence was reduced to eight years," she said.

She stressed that these rulings represent the greatest disgrace to the legal profession, and especially to the judiciary of BiH.

NO SIGN OF MAHMULJIN – EVERYONE POINTS TO THE COURT OF BiH, WHICH "HAS NO INFORMATION"

The Court of BiH says it does not know where Mahmuljin is and has not received any information even after the Interpol warrant. The Court claims that Interpol has no information either, while Turkiye's Ministry of Justice has stated they have been unable to locate him.

The Court of BiH also confirmed it had not received any notification from NCB Interpol regarding the possible location of the convicted Mahmuljin.

The High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council of BiH, asked by SRNA who is responsible when convicted individuals such as Mahmuljin leave the country, responded that the institution "has no jurisdiction to keep records on specific cases" and directed inquiries to the Court of BiH.

The Directorate for Coordination of Police Bodies also redirected all questions to the Court of BiH.