Selmo Cikotić (born 25 January 1964) is a Bosnian politician who served as Minister of Security from 2020 to 2023. He was also the

Minister of Defence A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and military forces, found in states where the government is divid ...

from 2007 to 2012. He is currently serving a three-year prison sentence for corruption in Vojkovići prison. A member of the Party of Democratic Action, Cikotić's career in the army spanned for 20 years, being in the

Yugoslav People's Army The Yugoslav People's Army (JNA/; Macedonian language, Macedonian, Montenegrin language, Montenegrin and sr-Cyrl-Latn, Југословенска народна армија, Jugoslovenska narodna armija; Croatian language, Croatian and ; , J ...

, the

Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina The Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina (; ; ARBiH), often referred to as Bosnian Army, was the military force of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It was established by the government of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina i ...

during the

Bosnian War The Bosnian War ( / Рат у Босни и Херцеговини) was an international armed conflict that took place in Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1992 and 1995. Following several earlier violent incid ...

, and lastly in the Army of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. He was ranked as

brigadier Brigadier ( ) is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore (rank), commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several t ...

Early career

In February 1993, Cikotić was made commander of operational group Zapad of the 3rd Corps of the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina in

Bugojno Bugojno ( sr-cyrl, Бугојно) is a town and municipality in the Central Bosnia Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is situated on the river Vrbas, to the northwest of Sarajevo. Accord ...

. He served as the military attaché at the embassy of Bosnia and Herzegovina to the United States in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

from December 1994 to 1997. As brigadier general, Cikotić was enrolled at the

United States Army Command and General Staff College The United States Army Command and General Staff College (CGSC or, obsolete, USACGSC) at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, is a graduate school for United States Army and sister service officers, interagency representatives, and international military ...

Fort Leavenworth Fort Leavenworth () is a United States Army installation located in Leavenworth County, Kansas, in the city of Leavenworth, Kansas, Leavenworth. Built in 1827, it is the second oldest active United States Army post west of Washington, D.C., an ...

in June 1997, before being expelled as a result of unconfirmed accusations made by Croatian officials that he commanded soldiers who tortured and killed people in and around Bugojno during the

. From 2000 until 2004, he was the Commander of the 1st Corps of the

Federal Army The Federal Army (), also known as the Federales () in popular culture, was the army of Mexico from 1876 to 1914 during the Porfiriato, the rule of President Porfirio Díaz, and during the presidencies of Francisco I. Madero and Victoriano Huerta. ...

, and from 2004 to 2007 CEO of OKI in

Sarajevo Sarajevo ( ), ; ''see Names of European cities in different languages (Q–T)#S, names in other languages'' is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 2 ...

. Cikotić has a master's degree from the

University of Sarajevo The University of Sarajevo (Bosnian language, Bosnian, Croatian language, Croatian and Serbian language, Serbian: ''Univerzitet u Sarajevu'' / Sveučilište u Sarajevu / Универзитет у Сарајеву) is a List of universities in Bo ...

in 2004 and is fluent in English.

Minister of Defence (2007–2012)

Cikotić was appointed

on 11 January 2007, but was unable to take up officially until 22 April 2007, when a ban on former army officers performing defence-related civilian duties expired. In June 2007, he jointly attended a

Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council The Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council (EAPC) is a post–Cold War, North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) institution. The EAPC is a multilateral forum created to improve relations between NATO and non-NATO countries in Europe and Central Asi ...

at the

NATO headquarters The NATO headquarters is the political and administrative center of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). After previous locations in London and Paris, it has been headquartered in Brussels since 1967, in a complex in Haren, part of ...

Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...

with Serbian Defence Minister Dragan Šutanovac, where together they expressed their governments' wish to join

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...

as soon as possible. In March 2008, Cikotić led a five member delegation to Pakistan, to discuss "bilateral cooperation between the two Muslim countries". His term as Minister of Defence ended on 12 January 2012.

Minister of Security (2020–2023)

On 23 July 2020, Cikotić became Minister of Security in the government of Zoran Tegeltija. This came after Fahrudin Radončić resigned as Minister of Security over a migration dispute with other members of

Zoran Tegeltija Zoran Tegeltija (; born 29 September 1961) is a Serbs of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnian Serb politician serving as director of the Indirect Taxation Authority of Bosnia and Herzegovina (ITA) since June 2023. He previously served as Ministry of F ...

's government; Radončić proposed the deportation of 9,000 migrants which the cabinet, headed by Tegeltija, voted against. On 25 November 2021, the Prosecutor's Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina filed an indictment against Cikotić for high corruption, regarding abuse of position and authority at the time when he was Defence Minister. The national Court confirmed the indictment against Cikotić on 8 December 2021, accusing him of abusing his position as Defence Minister from 2009 until 2011, which damaged the budget of Bosnia and Herzegovina by 9.7 million KM and obtained multimillion-dollar property gain for others. The indictment was confirmed and Cikotić was sentenced to three years in prison in October 2024. Cikotić was succeeded as Minister of Security by

Nenad Nešić Nenad Nešić (; born 4 July 1978) is a Serbs of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnian Serb politician who served as Ministry of Security (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Minister of Security from 2023 to 2025. He previously served as member of the House of R ...

on 25 January 2023, following the formation of a new

government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a State (polity), state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive (government), execu ...

presided over by

Borjana Krišto Borjana Krišto (; born 13 August 1961) is a Bosnian Croat politician serving as Chairwoman of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina since January 2023. She previously served as the 8th president of the Federation of Bosnia and He ...

War crimes charges

On 18 January 2024, an indictment against Cikotić was confirmed by the Bosnian state court. He was charged with failing to take whatever actions necessary to prevent the ill-treatment, torture and murders of captured

Croatian Defence Council The Croatian Defence Council (, HVO) was the armed wing of the self-proclaimed Croatian Republic of Herzeg-Bosnia, a breakaway entity unrecognised by the international community and accused of ethnic-based violence during the conflict. It exis ...

soldiers in 1993, as well as failing to initiate criminal proceedings against those who had committed the concerned war crimes in the town of

during the Croat–Bosniak conflict.

Personal life

On 17 October 2020, it was confirmed that Cikotić tested positive for

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

, amid its pandemic in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

References

External links