 | |  | | Zeljko Raznjatovic | | | context : | Former Yugoslavia  | | judgement place : | ICTY (Yugoslavia) | | status : | Died before end of trial | | particulars : | Indicted by the ICTY in 1997, Arkan was assassinated on January 15, 2000 | | position : | Head of Arkan's Tiger, a Serbian paramilitary unit |
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| | | | Zeljko Raznjatovic, also known as "Arkan," was born on 17 April 1952, in Brezice, Slovenia. From his young adult years forward, he spent much of his time abroad in other European countries. After his return to Belgrade, he eventually became president of the fan club of Belgrade’s Red Star football team. He used this group as a base for the establishment, on 11 October 1990, of a paramilitary organisation known as the "Serbian Volunteer Guard" or, alternatively, as "Arkan’s Tigers."
He led this group in fighting in the Eastern Slavonian region of Croatia in 1991-1992 and then in various locations in Bosnia-Herzegovina in 1992. In 1995, he again led his paramilitary troops into fighting in northwestern Bosnia-Herzegovina. He commanded this force while it was deployed in Sanski Most during September 1995.
According to the indictment, around 15 September 1995, at the invitation of local Serb leaders, "Arkan’s Tigers" entered the Sanski Most area in order to restore order and to check the advance of the AbiH, the Bosnian Army.
In addition to establishing checkpoints in Sanski Most, "Arkan’s Tigers" also engaged in systematic patrols around the town, in order to identify and detain Muslim and other non-Serb men, to extort valuables from non-Serb families, and to obtain non-Serb homes for use by Serb refugees. During these patrols, the perpetration of beatings and robberies by "Arkan’s Tigers" were commonplace.
Many of the Muslim and other non-Serb men who were abducted were taken to the Hotel Sanus for interrogation by Raznjatovic and his subordinates. They were subjected to repeated beatings and harassment by "Arkan’s Tigers" and a large number of these detainees were imprisoned in a small boiler room located in the basement of the adjoining old hotel building.
On or about 20 September 1995, soldiers belonging to the group known as "Arkan’s Tigers" took twelve non-Serb men from various locations in Sanski Most and transported them in a truck to a site approximately five kilometres from Sanski Most, in the village of Trnova.
At this location, the soldiers under the command of Zeljko Raznjatovic walked them to an unfinished, one-story, cinder block building situated to the rear of a larger building, which was also under construction. "Arkan’s Tigers" took them into the largest room of this building and shot to death eleven of the men. A twelfth man was shot and seriously wounded.
On or about 21 September 1995, in the neighbouring village of Sehovci where many of the non-Serbs who had been displaced from their homes had been forced to gather, soldiers belonging to the group "Arkan’s Tigers" loaded a group of non-Serb men into a bus and took them to the centre of Sanski Most. At the same date, many of the men being held at the boiler room of the old hotel, in addition to other non-Serb men and one woman who had been brought to the Hotel Sanus, were forcibly loaded onto the same bus by soldiers belonging to the group, "Arkan’s Tigers". The bus then departed from the hotel and travelled from Sanski Most in the direction of Banja Luka to the village of Sasina. On or about 21 September 1995, another group of non-Serb men were forcibly taken from the predominately Muslim village of Pobrijeze, outside Sanski Most, and were also transported to Sasina.
In Sasina, the non-Serb men and woman who had been brought from Sehovci, the Hotel Sanus, and Pobrijeze were removed from the vehicles. At this spot, soldiers belonging to Arkan’s Tigers," and under the direct command of Zeljko Raznjatovic shot them, killing all but two survivors. The men and one woman who were executed were buried at the same location in two mass graves. These graves were exhumed on 27 July 1996, and the bodies of sixty-five victims were recovered.
From about 21 September through about 25 September 1995, soldiers belonging to "Arkan’s Tigers" imprisoned approximately thirty-five non-Serb men in the small boiler room of the old hotel building. Pursuant to the command of Arkan, the soldiers beat the men and deprived them of food and water. At least two men died as a result of the beatings and cruel treatment.
In early October 1995, "Arkan’s Tigers" fled from Sanski Most, along with the other Serb soldiers and civilians, as the ABiH entered the town. | |     click for more... | | Trial Watch would like to remind its users that any person charged by national or international authorities is presumed innocent until proven guilty. | |  |  | | nationality : | | | Serbia and montenegro | | | date of birth : | | | 17.04.1952 | | | also known as : | | | Arkan | | | period of charges : | | | 15.09.1995 - 25.09.1995 | | | charges : | | | Crimes against humanity
War crimes | | | profile last modified : | | | 30.11.2007 |
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