Bosnia and Herzegovina: UN mission pulls authorization for 3 police officers

The United Nations Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina (UNMIBH) today announced that three police officers were being stripped of their authority, after one was deemed to have taken part in wartime crimes against non-Bosnian Muslims and two others were found to have committed "grave violations of duty."

According to a spokesperson for the Mission, Police Commissioner Sven Fredericksen removed the provisional authorization of Rifat Culjevic after he was identified as violating the Geneva conventions, and the laws and customs of war that were observed at the Silos detention facility.

Meanwhile, Milivoje Vlaski and Sinisa Golijanin were stripped of their authorization for acts committed while serving as police officers in PSC Srpska Sarajevo. UNMIBH spokesperson Kate Frieson told reporters that Officer Vlaski allegedly beat and forced an 18-year-old suspect to gulp large amounts of water, until the point of vomiting, in order to obtain a confession. The boy later committed suicide.

Subsequently, Officer Golijanin threatened to fire any other police officer that would talk about the incident involving Mr. Vlaski. He was also later found to have given false statements regarding the conduct of Mr. Vlaski during an investigation into the matter.

The Commissioner's decision to withdraw the provisional authorization of the three officers precludes their employment, either now or in the future, in any position within any law enforcement agency in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ms. Frieson said.