Berislav Pušić

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Berislav Pušić is a Croatian politician who was among 6 Croatian defendants charged by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY)

[edit] Background

Berislav Pušić aka Berto or Berko was born on 8 June 1952 in the village of Krivodol, in Mostar. 1992 saw Pušić becoming an officer in the Military Police of the Croatian Defence Council (HVO) in Mostar. In May 1993 he became part of the Croatian delegation that dealt with UNPROFOR. By August of 1993 he was appointed the President of the commission in charge of all HVO prisons and other detention facilities and the head of the department that dealt with prisoner exchanges.

[edit] Indictment

According to the indictment until around April 1994 Berislav Pušić was part of a shadowy organization who's goal was to create an ethnically pure territory to be annexed and merged into a Greater Croatia. Corić is accused of inciting political, ethnic and religious hatred while also using force, intimidation and terror, (mostly by mass arrests during which people were killed) to ethnically drive non-Croatians from HVO controlled territory. Also as head of the prison system he was responsible for the horrible treatment of Bosnian Muslim detainees.[1]

[edit] Charges

Taken from the UN press release:

• nine counts of grave breaches of the Geneva conventions (wilful killing; inhuman treatment (sexual assault); unlawful deportation of a civilian; unlawful transfer of a civilian; unlawful confinement of a civilian; inhuman treatment (conditions of confinement); inhuman treatment; extensive destruction of property, not justified by military necessity and carried out unlawfully and wantonly; appropriation of property, not justified by military necessity and carried out unlawfully and wantonly).

• nine counts of violations of the laws or customs of war (cruel treatment (conditions of confinement); cruel treatment; unlawful labour; wanton destruction of cities, towns or villages, or destruction not justified by military necessity; destruction or wilful damage done to institutions dedicated to religion or education; plunder of public or private property; unlawful attack on civilians; unlawful infliction of terror on civilians; cruel treatment), and

• eight counts of crimes against humanity (persecutions on political, racial and religious grounds; murder; rape; deportation; inhumane acts (forcible transfer); imprisonment; inhumane acts (conditions of confinement); inhumane acts).