Sefer Halilović

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Sefer Halilović
Sefer Halilović at the ICTY
Born January 6, 1952
Prijepolje, Serbia

Sefer Halilović (born January 6, 1952) is a former general and overall commander in the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina during the 1992-1995 war in Bosnia and Herzegovina. In 2001 he was indicted for war crimes by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia and eventually acquitted. Today he is a prominent politician in Bosnia.

Contents

[edit] Pre war life

Halilović was born in the region of Sandžak. He attended the military academy in Belgrade in 1971 for three years and in 1975 he attended the military school in Zadar where he became an Officer in the Yugoslav People's Army (JNA). On August 31, 1990 he went to Belgrade and attended a two-year course at the school for commanders. When he left the People's Army in September 1991 he was a professional military officer and held the rank of Major. He returned to Bosnia-Herzegovina, joined the Patriotic League and planned the defence of the country.

[edit] War years

On May 25, 1992 he was appointed by the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina (RBiH) as Commander of the Territorial Defence (TO) Staff of the RBiH, replacing Hasan Efendić, becoming the most senior Military Commander of the armed forces of the RBiH.

From his appointment in May to early July, while the TO evolved into an Army, Halilović also acted as a member of the War Presidency. After July 1992, he functioned as the Chief of the General Staff of the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina. On August 18, 1992, the Presidency formed five corps of the ABiH with Halilović as Chief of the Supreme Command Staff / Chief of the Main Staff. On June 8, 1993, a new position was created, Commander of the Supreme Command Staff. Rasim Delić filled this post until Halilović replaced him and served until November 1993. Between July 18, 1993 to November 1993, he held the post of Deputy Commander of the Supreme Command Staff of the ABiH as well as Chief of the Supreme Command Staff.

After a meeting in Zenica on August 20–August 21, 1993, Rasim Delić appointed him Head of an Inspection Team. At that same meeting he urged his fellow officers to prioritize the disciplining of BH soldiers. He was quoted as saying; "When are we going to start shooting people for not following orders"?

[edit] Assassination attempt

During the war Halilović ran afoul of the political leaders of Bosnia who in turn were likely responsible for the failed attempt on Halilović's life. On July 7, 1993 at 14:10h Halilović's flat was bombed using a remote detonated explosive device. While Halilović, his son and daughter were not killed, his wife Mediha and her brother Edin Rondić died. Rondić appeared on the balcony in a military uniform at the same time that Halilović came home for lunch with his family. The assassins likely mistook Rondić for Halilović and detonated the device.

[edit] War crimes indictment

He was indicted by the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia on July 30, 2001. He voluntarily surrendered on September 25, 2001 and pled not guilty two days later. Halilović was on a provisional release from December 13, 2001 until the beginning of the trial and from September 5, 2005 until November 14, 2005.

[edit] The charge

Halilović was indicted on the basis of superior criminal responsibility (Article 7(3) of the Statute of the Tribunal) and charged with one count of violation of the laws and customs of war (Article 3 – murder). The massacre he was accused of being responsible for took place in villages of Grabovica and Uzdol in September 1993. The ICTY prosecutors claimed that he was leader of Operation Neretva 93 which was conducted by the ARBiH in the area.

[edit] The trial

The trial against Sefer Halilović began on January 31, 2005. The Prosecution completed its case on June 2, 2005. There were 39 prosecution witnesses and two witness statements. The Trial Chamber admitted 287 exhibits tendered into evidence by the prosecution. The defence case commenced on June 27, 2005 and lasted until July 14, 2005. There were three defence witnesses and 12 witness statements. The parties made their closing arguments on August 30 and August 31, 2005. The Trial Chamber admitted 207 exhibits tendered into evidence by the defence.

Halilović's defence claimed that he had been removed from command and that he did not have any command authority over the operation.

[edit] The verdict and appeals

On November 16, 2005, Halilović was acquitted on all charges and released. The Court found that, while murders considered war crimes did occur at those places, Halilović did not have command authority, being only an inspector, and that he cannot be considered responsible for them. The prosecutions appeal against the judgment is pending.

[edit] Miscellaneous

Before his indictment Halilović was a government minister in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the leader of his own political party, the Bosnian-Herzegovinian Patriotic Party-Sefer Halilović and was known for his vocal criticism of Bosnian president Alija Izetbegović. In 2005 Halilović's son, Semir, published a book State Secret (Državna Tajna) which described some of the events which shaped wartime Bosnia.[1] In April 2006 Semir Halilović was accosted and threatened with death by one of the people whom the book cast in a bad light, Ramiz Delalić, who was also a prosecution witness during His father's trial. On October 1, 2006 Sefer Halilović was elected to a 4 year term in the the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

[edit] External links

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