Prosecutor of the Regional Team 5 within the Special Department for War Crimes of the Prosecutor's Office of BiH filed an Indictment against Željko Jukić, born on 15 January 1970 in Ometala, Prozor Municipality, resident of Dubrovnik, citizen of both BiH and the Republic of Croatia, held in custody since 02 November 2011.

The Indictment alleges that Željko Jukić, as a member of ‘Rama’ Brigade of HVO, in the period from July through September 1993, within a widespread or systematic attack of HVO and HV military forces directed against Bosniak civilians of Prozor Municipality, having knowledge of such an attack and that his acts form a part of the attack, perpetrated a persecution of Bosniak civilians on political, national and religious grounds, participating in the common plan and contributing to the realization of the common goal by perpetrating other inhumane acts, for the purpose of inflicting great suffering and serious physical and mental injuries.  

Inter alia, on or about 07 July 1993, in the evening hours, the Accused is alleged to have inflicted severe physical and mental pain upon a civilian on the premises of the Fire Station in Prozor which was the seat of the HVO Military Police of Prozor and also a prison where Bosniak civilians were detained, in a manner that he used a lit cigarette to burn the victim’s face and thus make a sign of a cross on the victim’s right cheek. Then he took the victim to another room and beat him there, mistreated and tortured him in humiliating ways, and burned the victim’s chin and face by exposing them to an open flame.

As further alleged in the Indictment, in mid-July 1993, the Accused took the aforementioned victim to a hangar in the Dretelj camp in the vicinity of Čapljina, put him against the wall and then he took a baton and started hitting him on the legs; the intensity of the beating made the victim fall on the floor; then, he kicked him twice on the ribs, which resulted in inflicting severe physical and metal pain upon this victim.

This is the second Indictment filed against Željko Jukić. The first Indictment, wherein he was charged with war crimes, was filed in January this year.  

The Indictment was submitted to the Court of BiH for confirmation.