Veselin Vlahović also known as "Batko' or 'Smeće' ''" or the "Monster of Grbavica" (born in 1969) is a

Montenegrin Serb Serbs of Montenegro ( sr, / ) or Montenegrin Serbs ( sr, / ),, meaning "Montenegrin Serbs", and meaning "Serbs Montenegrins". Specifically, Their regional autonym is simply , literal meaning "Montenegrins",Charles Seignobos, Political Histo ...

former paramilitary who was convicted of committing murder, rape, illegal detention and torture against

Bosniaks The Bosniaks ( bs, Bošnjaci, Cyrillic: Бошњаци, ; , ) are a South Slavic ethnic group native to the Southeast European historical region of Bosnia, which is today part of Bosnia and Herzegovina, who share a common Bosnian ancestry ...

and

Croats The Croats (; hr, Hrvati ) are a South Slavic ethnic group who share a common Croatian ancestry, culture, history and language. They are also a recognized minority in a number of neighboring countries, namely Austria, the Czech Republic, G ...

in the Grbavica neighbourhood of

Sarajevo Sarajevo ( ; cyrl, Сарајево, ; ''see Names of European cities in different languages (Q–T)#S, names in other languages'') is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 275,524 in its a ...

during the

Bosnian War The Bosnian War ( sh, Rat u Bosni i Hercegovini / Рат у Босни и Херцеговини) was an international armed conflict that took place in Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1992 and 1995. The war is commonly seen as having started ...

Criminal history

Montenegro ) , image_map = Europe-Montenegro.svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Podgorica , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , official_languages = M ...

, Vlahović was imprisoned for three years for robbery and violence but escaped in 2001. Shortly after escaping from prison, Vlahović shot a man to death in a bar in

Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe, Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Bas ...

, and was sentenced to 15 years in prison. He later lived in

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

on a

Bulgarian passport A Bulgarian passport ( bg, Български паспорт, Bŭlgarski pasport) is an international travel document issued to nationals of Bulgaria, and may also serve as proof of Bulgarian nationality law, Bulgarian citizenship. Besides enabl ...

where Vlahović was wanted for three armed robberies in Alicante province. On 2 March 2010, he was captured and later extradited to

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and H ...

Trial

Vlahović pleaded not guilty to the 56 charges against him, which included "murder, enslavement, rape, illegal detention, physical and psychological abuse". According to the prosecutor Vlahović "is indicted for the murders of 27 people, the rapes of 12, the disappearances of five persons and causing injuries to 41 victims" and that "the prosecution will call 105 witnesses". On 29 March 2013, he was sentenced to 45 years in prison by the Bosnian justice system for war crimes committed during 1992-95 Bosnian conflict; he was found guilty of more than sixty crimes including

rape Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse or other forms of sexual penetration carried out against a person without their consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority, or ag ...

murder Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification (jurisprudence), justification or valid excuse (legal), excuse, especially the unlawful killing of another human with malice aforethought. ("The killing of another person wit ...

and

torturing Torture is the deliberate infliction of severe pain or suffering on a person for reasons such as punishment, extracting a confession, interrogation for information, or intimidating third parties. Some definitions are restricted to acts c ...

Croat The Croats (; hr, Hrvati ) are a South Slavic ethnic group who share a common Croatian ancestry, culture, history and language. They are also a recognized minority in a number of neighboring countries, namely Austria, the Czech Republic, Ge ...

and

Bosniak The Bosniaks ( bs, Bošnjaci, Cyrillic: Бошњаци, ; , ) are a South Slavic ethnic group native to the Southeast European historical region of Bosnia, which is today part of Bosnia and Herzegovina, who share a common Bosnian ancestry, cu ...

civilians.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vlahovic, Veselin 1969 births Living people Army of Republika Srpska soldiers People indicted for genocide Montenegrin soldiers Montenegrin people convicted of murder Serbs of Montenegro Montenegrin people convicted of war crimes Montenegrin people convicted of rape People convicted of torture