Sarajevo Police Brutally Beat Prominent Islamic Theologian Orhan Bajraktarević

Sarajevo police brutally beat prominent Islamic theologian and lecturer at the Faculty of Islamic Studies in Sarajevo, Orhan Bajraktarević, late last week, shortly after midnight, on the road between the Faculty of Islamic Studies and Begova Mosque.
Bajraktarević was subsequently transported by ambulance to the General Hospital „Prim. dr. Abdulah Nakaš“. His injuries were so severe that he was unable to stand on his feet.

Facsimile of part of Bajraktarević's medical reports from the General Hospital „Prim. dr. Abdulah Nakaš“ after he received treatment Photo Thebosniatimes

Bajraktarević confirmed to the Patria news agency that the incident occurred. He said he was severely beaten at the Stari Grad Police Station. He is now recovering at home.

- I don't know what happened. They beat me. They didn't want to hear that I work at the Faculty of Islamic Studies, which is located just a few dozen meters away from them – Bajraktarević told Patria.

- It happened on the night from Friday to Saturday. No one from the police contacted me after that. After they beat me, they only told me that the police have witnesses that they did not beat me – Bajraktarević added. With that, they wanted to send him a message that it is best to forget the whole case.

It is still unclear whether the police mistook Bajraktarević for another person, or whether he was their targeted victim. The police are silent on this case. Bajraktarević says he does not know the reason why anyone would beat him, and he especially does not understand why the police would do it. He has worked for years right next to the Stari Grad Police Station.

Sarajevo police officers intercepted the well-known Islamic scholar near his car on Branilaca grada Street, after he was returning from the observance of the 27th night of Ramadan, shortly after 1 a.m. First, they asked him where he was hiding bombs, then they insulted him, calling him garbage and trash. They cursed his mosque and Ramadan. They equated him with terrorists. They did not want to hear his explanation that he was not the person they might be looking for. The next moment, he found himself pinned against his vehicle. And the next second, he was in a police car. He says the real torture followed after they brought him to the station.

- They took me into some room. One police officer was waiting for me behind the door and started hitting me with a thick leather belt on my back. He was swinging with both hands.

Only after they saw that Bajraktarević was in a serious medical condition did one of the officers call an ambulance. 

Orhan Bajraktarević is a lecturer at the Faculty of Islamic Studies in Sarajevo. He teaches students Islamic philosophy and tasawwuf. He was born in Špionica near Srebrenik. He was educated in Sarajevo, Zagreb, and Cairo. He is the author of a large number of scientific papers.

Irfan Nefić, spokesperson for the Ministry of Interior of the Sarajevo Canton, could not comment on this case even seven days after the incident. He said that the Ministry will provide an explanation only after it gathers information, writes Patria.