The Prosecutor’s Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina has filed an indictment against Mirsad Šestić (1954) from Zenica, a citizen of Bosnia and Herzegovina. He is charged with having acted contrary to the provisions of the Geneva Conventions on the Protection of the Civilian Population, the Wounded and the Sick during the war and armed conflict between the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the HVO in the area of Žepče.
He is charged with having, in his capacity as commander of the 2nd Battalion of the 303rd Mountain Brigade of the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, on 16 August 1993 ordered members of his brigade to carry out an attack on the town of Kiseljak, in the municipality of Žepče.
During that attack, members of the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina killed six civilians, mostly elderly, including two women and a 13-year-old girl, and wounded three women of Croatian nationality.
After that, the accused ordered the capture of civilians and the formation of a “human shield” consisting of about twenty civilians, including minors, children under 5 years of age and a baby of several months.
Using civilians as shields, they fired at HVO members, resulting in the death of one and the wounding of two civilians.
Furthermore, the accused is also charged with the capture, abuse and infliction of bodily harm on a civilian who was performing the duties of a journalist.
The accused is charged with committing the criminal offense of “War Crimes against Civilians” under Article 173 and “War Crimes against the Wounded and Sick” under Article 174 of the Criminal Code of BiH.
The indictment has been forwarded to the Court of BiH, the Prosecutor’s Office of BiH announced.
