‘Luka’ camp in Brcko, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Photograph: BIRN
The US Justice Division says Slobodan Letic ought to have his US citizenship revoked for concealing his involvement within the beating, torture and sexual assault of civilians in Bosnia in 1992 whereas a member of the Bosnian Serb forces. Letic acquired US citizenship on September 22, 2006.
“Letic took two girls detainees out of a [detention] camp earlier than driving them to an condominium the place he beat and raped them,” it mentioned.
“After the ladies have been launched from the camp, Letic later discovered certainly one of them strolling within the streets and once more took her to an deserted home and forcefully raped her. Letic additionally invaded the houses of different civilians in Bosnia and inflicted extreme beatings, torture, and mock executions on them,” the Justice Division assertion added.
Its grievance alleges that Letic was a member of the police Intervention Platoon in Brcko on the time.
It says Letic hid his involvement in conflict crimes when getting into the US in a while, stating that he was a refugee.
He additionally allegedly hid convictions for corruption-related offences dedicated whereas serving as a police officer in Bosnia.
In line with the grievance, in 1994 he used his place as a police officer to submit solid documentation to register autos, and, throughout a police search, stole cash and different gadgets from an condominium.
“Because of the above actions, the defendant was arrested and jailed in [nearby] Bijeljina,” the grievance remembers, including that he was sentenced to eight months in jail, suspended for 2 years.
Brett Shumate, Assistant US Lawyer Normal, mentioned the US isn’t a protected haven for conflict criminals and individuals who violate human rights, including that the injustice performed when Letic was granted US citizenship wants correcting.
“Letic entered our nation posing as a sufferer of persecution when actually he had dedicated horrendous acts as a persecutor of others. He took benefit of our beneficiant system for refugee admissions and mustn’t have been granted US citizenship,” Shumat mentioned.
The claims made within the grievance are allegations, and legal responsibility has not but been decided, the assertion famous.
Bosnian Serb forces, numbering about 1,000 males, launched an assault on Brcko on Could 1, 1992, or round then, and rapidly took over the city, based on BIRN’s Database of Judicially Established Info.
From Could 3 onwards, these forces detained quite a few civilians, primarily Bosniaks and Croats, at 14 places.
These included the police station, the Laser bus firm, the Partizan sports activities corridor, the Vestfalija restaurant, the soccer stadium, the first faculty in Loncari, the Pelagicevo agricultural cooperative retailers, the mosque in Kolobare, the Posavina lodge, the hospital in Brcko, the hearth division constructing and the Luka camp.
