In Vlasenica, Dragan Nikolić Jenki, commander of the former Sušica camp, has died

VLASENICA, (Patria) - Dragan Nikolić, known as Jenki, commander of the former Sušica camp in that town in eastern Bosnia, has died in Vlasenica, the Patria agency reports. 

Nikolić died at the age of 61. He was buried yesterday in the local cemetery in Vlasenica.

In 2003, Dragan Nikolić pleaded guilty before the Hague Tribunal for war crimes committed in 1992 in the Sušica camp near Vlasenica, of which he was the commander. Nikolić, in agreement with the Prosecution, pleaded guilty to the persecution of non-Serb populations on racial, religious, and political grounds, for torture, rape, and murder, crimes characterized as crimes against humanity. The Prosecution proposed that Nikolić be sentenced to 15 years in prison for the aforementioned crimes. 

By pleading guilty, Nikolić agreed with the allegations of the indictment, according to which in April 1992, members of the JNA, namely the Novi Sad Corps, paramilitary units, and local Serbs occupied Vlasenica. Following the occupation of the town, the expulsion of the Muslim population ensued, so that in September 1992, there were no more Muslims in the town, although they constituted the majority in Vlasenica until the beginning of the war. Dragan Nikolić agreed with the allegations of the indictment that, as part of the process of expelling non-Serb populations from Vlasenica, the Sušica camp was established, through which about 8,000 people passed from May to October 1992. 

Men were beaten and killed, and women were raped, Nikolić admitted and confirmed that before leaving the prison and Vlasenica, Muslims had to sign a statement that they were leaving voluntarily and renouncing their property. 

The indictment against Nikolić, filed in 1994, was the first filed by the Hague Tribunal for crimes committed in the former Yugoslavia. Nikolić was arrested in April 2000 in the vicinity of Smederevo, and during his first appearance in court, he stated that he did not feel guilty on any count of the Hague indictment.

Nikolić was supposed to testify at the trial of Mane Đurić, Radenko Stanić, Miroslav Kraljević, and Goran Garić for crimes committed in the Vlasenica area. 

According to the indictment, Đurić was a member of the Crisis Staff of the Vlasenica municipality, Stanić was the commander of the Public Security Station (SJB), Kraljević was the commander of the Special Unit within the Vlasenica SJB, known as "Mićini specijalci" (Mićo's special forces), while Garić was a police officer.