WAR CRIMES SUSPECT DEPRIVED OF LIBERTY IN MOSTAR UPON THE ORDER OF THE BIH PROSECUTOR’S OFFICE

Early this morning, upon the order of the Prosecutor of the Special Department for War Crimes, SIPA police officers deprived of liberty the following suspect in the area of Mostar:

-      Ibrahim Demirović aka Hećim, born on 27 February 1955 in Mostar, a citizen of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The suspect is under an investigation of the Prosecutor’s Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina and he is suspected of acting, as a member of the Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina and a Commander of the 47^th Mountain Brigade, during the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina and an armed conflict between the Army of the Republic of  Bosnia and Herzegovina and HVO in 1993 in the territory of Potoci, in violation of the provisions of the Geneva Conventions relative to the protection of civilian persons in time of war.

He is suspected of coming armed and in a military uniform, from July to November of 1993, to a school in Potoci, where a larger number of Croat civilians was illegally detained, women, children and elderly persons included.

He is charged with taking the victim “B” out of that facility and to a house nearby, on several occasions, where he raped her several times, threatening her that he would let a larger number of soldiers rape her should she try to offer resistance.

Ibrahim Demirović is under an investigation and he is suspected of the commission of the criminal offense of War Crimes against Civilians, as referred to in Article 173 of the Criminal Code of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The suspect will be handed over to the Prosecutor in charge of the case in the course of this day, and the Prosecutor will subsequently question the suspect and decide on filing the motion for custody.   

The investigation in this case will continue with the aim of filing an Indictment.