Arrested in Serbia: Nikola Brčić suspected of rapes in Karamanova house in Miljevina near Foča

Bosnia and Herzegovina will request the extradition of Nikola Brčić, who was arrested in Serbia on suspicion of committing crimes in the Foča area in 1992.

The BiH Ministry of Justice said they were informed of the arrest on November 29 and that they requested the Court of BiH to submit documentation for the preparation of an extradition request.

The Higher Court in Belgrade confirmed to the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network of BiH (BIRN) that Brčić was placed in extradition custody on November 23 and that it can last up to two months.

He was remanded in custody due to the risk of flight and upon a request from the Court of BiH. He is suspected of crimes against humanity.

The Prosecutor's Office of BiH confirmed that, upon their proposal, the Court of BiH issued a warrant for Brčić.

Lawyer Slaviša Prodanović said that the arrested man's brother contacted him by phone and that he should get in touch with the client next week.

“He was arrested at the border crossing on the Serbian side. He is in the detention unit of the special department of the Higher Court in Belgrade,” Prodanović said.

Brčić is linked to crimes in the Karamanova house in the village of Miljevina near Foča, where women of Bosniak nationality were held captive and raped.

For the crimes in the Karamanova house, Radovan Stanković was sentenced to 20 years in prison by the Court of BiH. He was found guilty of taking women into slavery, rape, and torture in the Karamanova house from August to October 1992.

The indictment against Stanković was filed by the Hague Prosecutor's Office, and the case was later transferred to BiH. According to this indictment, Brčić also participated in the crimes in the Karamanova house together with Stanković and others.