Indictment Filed: Abdija from Živinice Held a Woman in Slavery

A prosecutor from the Special Department for Organized Crime, Economic Crime and Corruption of the Prosecutor's Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina has filed an indictment against Abdija Osmanović, also known as Fehim, born on 27.04.1968 in Živinice, a citizen of Bosnia and Herzegovina, reports the Patria news agency.

The accused is charged with holding the victim A.S., a person with mild intellectual disability, in a state of slavery during 2013 and 2014, contrary to the provisions of the European Convention on Human Rights. He took over the victim from his brother for a monetary compensation, after which he restricted her every movement, kept her locked in a house, took her to various locations in the areas of Živinice and Bihać, and forced her to beg for him and bring him money.

The accused Osmanović repeatedly abused the victim in an extremely cruel manner, and if he was not satisfied with the amount of money she had begged, he subjected her to severe physical and psychological abuse, which left permanent physical injuries and consequences for the victim's health.

On several occasions, he kept the victim in conditions unworthy of a human being, forced her to sleep and eat on the floor, and abused her in extremely severe ways. In November 2014, a police officer approached the victim on the street, after which she was placed in a safe house where she received adequate care and medical protection.

The accused is charged with the criminal offense of establishing a slavery-like relationship and transporting a person in a slavery-like relationship. This is the first indictment for this criminal offense in the history of the Prosecutor's Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Prosecutor's Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina announced.

Along with the indictment, the summoning of 17 witnesses, including 6 experts, has been proposed, and extensive evidentiary material has been attached. The indictment has been forwarded for confirmation to the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina.