Patria in Obrovac, the village where Aleksandra Pandurević's grandmother kept Sidika Hajruli as a slave

Sidika Hajruli is no longer alive to testify about the torture she endured in captivity in the basement of the house of Tomana Kukričar - the grandmother of Aleksandra Pandurević - an SDS representative in the Parliament of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Reporters of the Bosnian news agency Patria visited the village of Obrovac, near Hadžići, where only the dilapidated house of the Kukričar family testifies to the monstrous deeds of grandmother Tomana. Everything looks eerie. Sidika died a few years ago. Grandmother Tomana as well. Aleksandra Pandurević, who could be held accountable for this and similar misdeeds during the aggression against Bosnia and Herzegovina, has been enjoying political protection for years.

Sidika Hajruli: A slave in the house of MP Pandurević's grandmother for more than three years

The first to speak out about the crimes of grandmother Tomana, as well as those they claim were committed by Aleksandra Pandurević, was the sister of the late Sidika, Izeta Omeragić. She first presented her findings to the Association of Missing Persons of Hadžići, and then shared the story with journalists and SIPA investigators. However, the case was never prosecuted.

The bars on the window of Sidika's cell are still there (Photo: Patria)

Ferida Nišić, secretary of the Association of Missing Persons in Hadžići, who is also searching for her brother's remains and exhumed her father, says she is dissatisfied with the work of the Prosecutor's Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the case of Sidika Omeragić, as well as in the cases of other murdered residents of Hadžići. For the murders of more than a hundred people from this municipality, no one has been prosecuted yet, and families are still searching for the remains of about 90 residents of Hadžići.

- I remember that Izeta was full of bitterness and sadness, as we all were, when she told us about the fate of her sister Sidika. Members of the association visited the basement where Sidika was imprisoned, we also had conversations with SIPA inspectors, but after that nothing was done to prosecute the case. We no longer know who to turn to; the families of the victims have been left to fend for themselves - says Nišić for the Patria agency.

She says she does not know why the Prosecutor's Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina has failed for 20 years to bring to justice those who committed monstrous acts in Hadžići. Witnesses to the crimes are slowly losing patience, and many of them are dying without seeing justice.

- We recently had a meeting at the Prosecutor's Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina where I openly told them that they are sloppy and uninterested. So far, we have sent them a large number of pieces of evidence, witness statements, various documents..., but they have never done anything regarding the murdered residents of Hadžići - Nišić is outraged.

Nišić: The Prosecutor's Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina is sloppy; we bring them evidence on foot, but they still do nothing (Photo: Patria)

In the Association of Missing Persons, a wall with names and photographs of the missing and murdered testifies to the past aggression in this municipality, and Nišić says she will give her last ounce of strength for the truth, regardless of the fact that they are currently dissatisfied with the support of the authorities.

The book by Aziz Tafra and Alen Almin Bašić, "Hadžići - Crime Without Punishment," also testifies to the monstrous deeds of individuals in Hadžići. In this book, the crimes of Aleksandra Pandurević are mentioned on as many as five pages. It is important to note that the book has been recognized by the Institute for Research on Genocide Canada, and it cites witness statements and documents that corroborate the truth.

Bašić also told Patria that he is not sure how long people will have trust in the judicial system, because it is difficult to live with the knowledge that criminals walk free.

- I know that my father's killer is a police officer in Montenegro. I wrote to the prosecutor's offices, the police, but there have never been any concrete developments - says Bašić.

The house of Aleksandra Pandurević's grandmother has been sold to a new owner, who is building a wall around it, so the last evidence of the crimes in this house will soon be destroyed (Photo: Patria)

The book by Tafra and Bašić also conveys the words of Fadil Vlajičić, president of the Association of Camp Inmates of Hadžići, who recalls the claims of elderly women from Hadžići who testified that MP Pandurević, together with her colleague Slobodanka Boba Poliganović from Hadžići, stole gold and other valuables from them.

- Aleksandra is not telling the truth when she says that she stayed in Belgrade during the war, because she was in Hadžići in 1993. Aleksandra is from Raštelica near Tarčin; she came to Hadžići on June 26, 1992, moving in with her grandmother Tomana - says Vlajičić. The book further states that it is impossible that Aleksandra did not know that Sidika Hajruli was held as a slave at her grandmother Tomana's for as long as three years.

- I remember well that on February 23, 1993, we were informed that Sidika was captured at grandmother Tomana's and that she was going through the Stations of the Cross. Unfortunately, we could do nothing, and she remained at Aleksandra's grandmother's until March 1996 - explained Vlajičić. He recalls that the female prisoners always first mentioned Aleksandra Pandurević as a very rude and dangerous girl, who in 1993, accompanied by the Serbian police, visited Bosniak houses to steal various valuables, and at checkpoints in Hadžići and the Mostar crossroads, she searched Bosniak women and children.

To be continued...