Human rights NGO sues Serbia over Žepa refugees

The Humanitarian Law Center (FHP) has sued the state of Serbia for alleged 1995 torture of Bosniaks. The Belgrade-based NGO says that three different criminal complaints against the state have been filed, on behalf of Bosnian Muslims, or Bosniaks, from Zepa, eastern Bosnia-Herzegovina. Human rights NGO sues Serbia over Zepa refugees A lawyer for the organization explained that the lawsuits claim that members of the Serbian police, MUP, "in the summer of 1995 organized detention and torture of nine Bosniaks in refugee camps in Sljivovica, near Cajetina, and Mitrovo Polje, near Aleksandrovac," both in Serbia. The alleged victims were named as Musan Dzeba, Enes Bogilovic, Ahmet Kamenica, Mujo Vatres, Selim Nuhanovic, Halil Durmisevic, Senad Jusufbegovic, Fehim Dudevic and Fadil Cardakovic. The lawsuit quotes testimonies from Zepa and Srebrenica refugees in these refugee centers, who talked about "daily torture, humiliating behavior, sexual abuse, starvation and other illegal acts by Serbian policemen." The FHP also says that two men did not survive this, "while others who were at Sljivovica and Mitrovo Polje considered them prison camps." But the lawsuit does not contain murder allegations. After the fall of Srebrenica in July 1995, some Muslims from that area of Bosnia-Herzegovina crossed over to Serbia, to find refuge in these two centers. But FHP claims that members of the Yugoslav Army intercepted them, took them for interviews, "while some were beaten."

Human rights NGO sues Serbia over Žepa refugees

A lawyer for the organization explained that the lawsuits claim that members of the Serbian police, MUP, "in the summer of 1995 organized detention and torture of nine Bosniaks in refugee camps in Šljivovica, near Čajetina, and Mitrovo Polje, near Aleksandrovac," both in Serbia.

The alleged victims were named as Mušan Džeba, Enes Bogilović, Ahmet Kamenica, Mujo Vatreš, Selim Nuhanović, Halil Durmišević, Senad Jusufbegović, Fehim Dudević and Fadil Čardaković.

The lawsuit quotes testimonies from Žepa and Srebrenica refugees in these refugee centers, who talked about "daily torture, humiliating behavior, sexual abuse, starvation and other illegal acts by Serbian policemen."

The FHP also says that two men did not survive this, "while others who were at Šljivovica and Mitrovo Polje considered them prison camps."

But the lawsuit does not contain murder allegations.

After the fall of Srebrenica in July 1995, some Muslims from that area of Bosnia-Herzegovina crossed over to Serbia, to find refuge in these two centers.

But FHP claims that members of the Yugoslav Army intercepted them, took them for interviews, "while some were beaten."