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{{Short description|Bosnian military commander}}
]]]
{{Infobox person
| name = Naser Orić
| image = Naser Oric (cropped).jpg
| caption = Orić at the ] in 2008
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1967|03|03||df=y}}
| birth_place = ], ], ]
| module = {{Infobox military person |embed=yes
| allegiance = {{flagdeco|Yugoslavia|1945}} ]<br />
{{flagdeco|Bosnia and Herzegovina|1992}} ]
| serviceyears = 1992–95
| rank = ]
| commands = Commander in ]
| unit = 28th Division (2nd Corps)
| battles = {{tree list}}
*]
** ]
**]
**]
**]
{{tree list/end}}
}}}}
'''Naser Orić''' (born 3 March 1967) is a Bosnian former officer who commanded ] (ARBiH) forces in the ] enclave in eastern Bosnia surrounded by ], during the ].


In 2006, he was sentenced to two years imprisonment by the Trial Chamber of the ] (ICTY) in the ] for failing to prevent the deaths of five ] detainees and the mistreatment of eleven other detainees from late 1992 to early 1993 on the basis of superior criminal responsibility.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hrw.org/news/2006/07/11/orics-two-years|title=Oric's Two Years|publisher=HRW.org|date=11 July 2006}}</ref>
'''Naser Orić''' (born ], ]) is a former ] soldier who is currently a ] indictee at the ].


Orić was ] on other charges of wanton destruction and causing damage to civilian infrastructure beyond the realm of ]. On 3 July 2008, the Appeals Chamber of the ICTY reversed the Trial Chamber's conviction and acquitted Orić of all charges brought against him.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7486999.stm|title=Srebrenica Muslim chief cleared|work=bbc.co.uk|date=3 July 2008|access-date=18 November 2015}}</ref> In November 2018, he was formally acquitted by a Bosnian appeals court.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/bosnian-srebrenica-commander-acquitted-war-crimes-59516401|title=Bosnian Srebrenica commander acquitted of war crimes|work=ABC News|access-date=2018-11-30|language=en}}</ref>
==Career==


==Early life==
Naser Oric was born on March 3, 1967 in ], a village near ]. His parents were Dzemal Oric and Hata Mustafic. Oric went to a trade school where he learned metalworking. 1985-1986 he completed his military service in the armed forces of the ] where he was part of a special unit for the nuclear and chemical defense of the ], the ], where he achieved the rank of Corporal.
Naser Orić was born on 3 March 1967 in ], about {{convert|3|km}} from the town of ] to Džemal and Hata.<ref name="Bartrop">{{cite book|last=Bartrop|first=Paul|author-link=Paul R. Bartrop|year=2012|title=A Biographical Encyclopedia of Contemporary Genocide|publisher=ABC-CLIO|location=]|isbn=978-0-313-38679-4|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=55NPpA6EvyMC|page=248}}</ref> His grandfather had fought with the ], a ultranationalist movement, during ].<ref>{{cite book|author=Central Intelligence Agency|title=Balkan Battlegrounds: A Military History of the Yugoslav Conflict, 1990–1995|year=2002|publisher=Office of Russian and European Analysis|location=]|oclc=50396958|isbn=978-0-16-066472-4|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=it1IAQAAIAAJ|ref={{harvid|CIA|2002}}|page=342}}</ref><ref name="Mann">{{cite book|last=Mann|first=Michael|ref=Mann|year=2005|publisher=Cambridge University Press|location=]|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cGHGPgj1_tIC|title=The Dark Side of Democracy: Explaining Ethnic Cleansing|page=417|isbn=9780521538541|access-date=14 February 2014}}</ref> Orić graduated from high school with a metalworking certificate.<ref name="Mann"/>


==Career==
In ], he completed a six month ] course in ], ], and served in ] in ] as a trainee ]. As a member of the police unit for special actions, he had courses for two more years. In ], Naser Oric was deployed to ] as a member of a police unit for special actions of the ] of the ]. Thereafter, he returned to Belgrade. On ] ], he was transferred to a ] in ], on the outskirts of ]. In late 1991, Naser Oric was moved to the police station in ] and on ] ] was made the ] of the ] police sub-station.
Orić was ] into the ] (JNA) in 1985/1986, where he served in a special unit for atomic and chemical defence. He left the JNA with the rank of ].<ref name="Bartrop"/> In 1988, he completed a six-month training course in ] and served in ] in ] as a trainee policeman.<ref name="ICTY - Amended Indictment">{{cite web |title=Amended Indictment - Naser Oric |url=https://www.icty.org/x/cases/oric/ind/en/ori-ai030723e.pdf |website=ICTY.org |publisher=The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia}}</ref> As a member of the police unit for special actions, he had courses for two more years.<ref name="ICTY - Amended Indictment" /> He was occasionally deployed to Kosovo and worked as a bodyguard for ] when required.<ref name="Muslimovic">{{cite web |last1=Muslimovic |first1=Admir |title=Naser Oric: Srebrenica Commander Inspires Love and Hate |url=https://balkaninsight.com/2017/10/05/naser-oric-srebrenica-commander-inspires-love-and-hate-10-02-2017/ |website=Balkan Insight |publisher=BIRN |date=5 October 2017}}</ref> He guarded Milošević during the celebration of the 600th anniversary of the ] at ] in ] in June 1989, when the Serbian president delivered a speech in front of hundreds of thousands of Serbs.<ref name="Muslimovic" /> Orić says he did not speak to Milošević when he guarded him, but says he did meet and talk with him years later when the two were both on trial at the Hague, remarking that Milošević acted "like a gentleman" and even gave him gifts.<ref name="Muslimovic" />

On April 17, the ] was created and Oric was made commander. On May 20, Oric was appointed commander of the ]. On June 27, 1992, ], the ] of the ] of the ] (]), confirmed Oric as commander. On August 8, 1992, his position as commander was re-confirmed by the Presidency of ]. In 1995, the 8th Operation group Srebrenica HQ was re-designated the 2nd Corps, 28th Division. On March 1, 1994, Oric was awarded a “Golden Lily”, the highest military award by Chief of Staff of the Supreme Command. On April 15, 1993, he had been awarded a Certificate of Merit. On July 17, 1994, he was promoted to the rank of ]. Oric had de facto and de jure control over the Muslim military units and irregulars in the ] area, including the two infantry brigades of the 28th Division.

==Naser Oric in Eastern Bosnia==

According to testimony by ] and ] in eastern Bosnia, during the period from May 1992 to April 1993 units of the Bosnian army (]) and Bosniak paramilitary units attacked more than one hundred Serb villages and hamlets killing approximately 1,000 civilians and members of the ] Army (]), and wounding between 2,800 and 3,200 Serbs. In the book "]", ], lists the names of 999 persons killed and the locations, but also warns that a completely accurate number of victims is impossible to determine because the fate of persons who were imprisoned, captured or in any other way found themselves in Bosniak-controlled territory remains unknown. The majority of attacks on unprotected Serb villages near ], ], ] and ] were led by Naser Oric in person.

Oric's units and Oric personally massacred 87 persons using ], ], ], by ], ], setting on fire and ] and burned and destroyed at least 50 Serbian villages. Approximately 5,400 families lost their land and personal property while approximately 12,800 Serbs or 45 percent of the Serb population of the region left their homes. It is speculated that it was these Bosnian attacks that caused a Bosnian Serb reaction and ultimately culminated in the Bosnian Serb takeover of ] on July 11, 1995.

According to Bosnian Serb General ], the commander of the ], “Naser Oric’s soldiers burned his village and his house to the ground on June 21, 1995. Twenty-seven Serbs died in eleven towns around Ratkovici. Naser’s men desecrated the graves of his mother and other Serbs by knocking over their headstones.…”

===Sources===

The attacks of Bosnian troops led by Nasir Oric in the Srebrenica area during the period of 1992-1993 have been relatively scantily reported in western press. As UK historian ] explained in his book ]: “The Bosnian Government troops moved swiftly through Serbian villages, slaughtering a large number of civilians on the way. Because the atrocities were being perpetrated by Muslims, they received relatively little attention in the world media.”

Instead most of the information on the actions of Naser Oric in eastern Bosnia have been provided by local Serbian sources. The events described below are from the books of "]" (], ] and ], eds.) published in ] in 1995 and the book "]" by ], published in New York by W.W. Norton in 1998.

The ICTY in its indictment of Naser Oric , states that he was "commanded all units that were operating within his area of responsibility. This includes all units involved in combat activities in the municipalities of Srebrenica and Bratunac, in particular the combat activities in Rupovo Brdo on 10 June 1992, Ratkovici on 21 and 27 June 1992, Jezestica on 8 August 1992, Fakovici on 5 October 1992, Bjelovac between 14 and 19 December 1992 and Kravica on 7 and 8 January 1993 and all units including the Military Police involved in the detention and custody of Serb individuals in Srebrenica." It continues by saying that

"During the period May 1992 to February 1993, Muslim armed units engaged in various military operations against the Army of the Serbian Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina (hereafter: VRS) forces in Eastern Bosnia. In the course of such operations, Muslim armed units in the Municipalities of Bratunac, Srebrenica and Skelani, burnt and otherwise destroyed and plundered a minimum of fifty predominantly Serb villages and hamlets. As a result, thousands of Serb individuals fled the area."

At the ICTY trial of ] (12 February 2004) the prosecutor Dermot Groome asked the French General ] a question about the Kravica attack on Orthodox Christmas: “General, your statement details attacks by Naser Oric, particularly the Orthodox Christmas Eve attack. “ To this Morillon replied: “The actions that you are referring to were one of the reasons for the deterioration of the situation in the area, especially in the month of January. Naser Oric engaged in attacks during Orthodox holidays and destroyed villages, ''massacring all the inhabitants''.”

ICTY Prosecutor Groome also asked Morillon about Oric’s treatment of Bosnian Serb POWs: “If I could ask you, what if anything did Mr. Oric himself say to you with respect to what he had been doing with prisoners during this time period?” Morillon answered: “Naser Oric was a warlord who reigned by terror in his area and over the population itself. I think that he realized that these were the rules of this horrific war, that he could not allow himself to take prisoners. According to my recollection, de didn’t even look for an excuse. It was simply a statement: One can’t be bothered with prisoners.”

===The first attacks: the villages of Bljeceva and Gniona===

On May 6, 1992, on the ] religious feast of ] (]), the villages of ] and ] in the ] municipality were attacked by Bosnian forces under ] and Naser Oric, respectively. An elderly Bosnian Serb woman, ], whose throat was slit inside her house, was one of the civilians killed. In Gniona, an ailing and half-blind man, ] (born 1928) was burned to death in his own house and the village was destroyed and burned. In this attack, Oric used loudspeakers to announce himself: “This is Naser Oric speaking…” He demanded that Serbs surrender or they would be killed. Gniona was the first Serbian village completely burned and destroyed in eastern Bosnia.

===Further attacks on Serb villages===

On May 7, 1992, in an attack on the village of ] in the Srebrenica municipality, seven Serbs were killed. Naser Oric organized and ordered this attack.

On May 21, a truck taking eleven Serbian civilians from ] to ] was attacked and eight Serbs were killed.

On June 21, in an attack on ], 18 Serbs were killed. ] had his throat cut while ] was burned in her house.

On August 8, 1992, the village of ] was attacked. ], born in 1965, had his head cut off and taken away by Bosnian forces.

On June 30, the village of ] was attacked and 19 residents killed. ] was beheaded while ] was crucified and set on fire. ] was set on fire in her house.

On July 5, 1992, the Serb villages of ] and ] were attacked and 16 persons killed. The throat of elderly Bosnian Serb woman ], born in 1912, was slit.

===Attack on the village of Podavanje===

On September, 1992, Oric planned an attack on the Serbian village of ] which was on the road between ] and ]. Oric sought to drive out and ethnically cleanse the Serbs from the Srebrenica/Zepa area to clear the road between the two towns. Oric assembled troops with the commander of Zepa, ]. Large number of the ] (“bag people” or “scavengers”) also participated in the attacks, as a second wave after the Bosnian Serb defences had been overrun.

Seditic has described the Bosnian attack on ]: “At six o’clock in the morning on September 24, 1992, Muslim soldiers opened fire on Podravanje from three sides. The Serbs tried to defend the village but panicked and ran when they realized how grossly outnumbered they and how quickly the Muslims were coming at them. The Serb fighters left behind men and women who had been wounded and killed by Muslim gunfire. Then the torbari rushed in. Muslim men shot the wounded. They fired their guns into the bodies of the Serb dead. They plunged knives into their stomachs and chests. They smashed their heads with axes and clubs, and they burned the bodies inside buildings. Oric’s men grabbed half a dozen prisoners; one, a fighter from Serbia who had relatives in Podravanje, was beaten to death, and the others emerged bruised and battered when they were exchanged a month later.”

The 31 Serbs killed in Podrovanje had their throats slit, others were beheaded, burned, and some had their stomachs slit open.

===Attacks on the villages of Nedeljista and Rogosija===

On September 24-26, 1992, 37 Serbs were killed when Oric’s forces attacked the villages of ] and ] in the ] municipality. Most of the victims were first wounded in the legs and then were burned. Supposedly, two of the victims were impaled. Those who were wounded had their throats slit, others were decapitated, some had their skulls smashed with axes and sledge hammers and their brains extracted. Some of the dead and wounded were circumcised and several were castrated. These atrocities were supposedly carried out under the command of ], ], and ].

=== Attack on villages along the Drina River===

Two weeks later, on October 5 1992 Oric attacked the Serbian villages along the ] River. The Bosnian forces attacked in overwhelming numbers of troops who were followed by Bosniak refugees. Sudetic has described the attack as follows: “Again the Serbs panicked. Again the stragglers were killed and their bodies mutilated. Again Oric’s men captured weapons, and the torbari (“bag people” or “scavengers”) streamed back to Srebrenica with bags stuffed with food.”

On November 28 1992 the first ] humanitarian aid ] reached Srebrenica. Forty tons of food were brought in. The ] military command along with the ] called on Oric to organize more attacks against Serbian villages and civilians. It is argued by some that the Bosnian military command in ] sought to use Oric’s offensives to create a diversion. According to this argument, the Bosnian government wanted to tie down Bosnian Serb troops in the Srebrenica pocket to allow the ] forces to launch an offensive north of ]. It has also been argued that they also wanted to maintain a crisis situation in eastern Bosnia to gain media attention and intervention by ].

On December 14 1992 Oric’s forces attacked the Serbian villages astride the Drina River in the village of ]. Sudetic described the attack: “The Serbs, caught completely off guard, waged war from the windows of their houses… Villagers scurried toward the river and were pinned down on the bank. Muslims cut many of them down at almost point-blank range as they tried to cross the river in panic. About 130 Serbs had been living in Loznicka Rijeka, and by midnight a quarter of them had been killed. Scores more Serbs had perished in the villages to the north. The Muslims had seized about forty square miles of territory….”

===Attack on the village of Kravica on Orthodox Christmas===

On January 7, 1993, ] ], “a high holy day for the Serbs, a national as much as a religious occasion” according to Sudetic, the Bosnian forces based in Srebrenica launched a massive attack against the Serbian village of ], northwest of ]. Cakes, bread, salads, and meat were prepared for the ] festivities. Two weeks before the attack on Kravica, Oric’s forces had taken the neighboring town of ] killing “a number of Serb men” and critically wounding the military commander of Kravica, ]. The Bosnian troops were able to surround the town and to cut the only asphalt paved road to ]. The only access to Kravica now was a dirt path that was constructed across the mountains to the Drina River two years earlier. There were about 300 Bosnian Serb defenders at Kravica.

Sudetic described the Bosnian attack on ] as a calculated, premeditated assault: “Naser Oric had spent days preparing his attack. It came with anything but surprise. After dark on Christmas Eve, some three thousand Muslim troops assembled on the slushy hilltops around Kravica. Behind them lurked a host of torbari who lit campfires to warm themselves. At dawn they started clattering pots and pans. “Allahu ekber! God is great!” the men shouted. The women shrieked. Shooting began. The Serb men in Kravica scrambled into their trenches. They told their wives and mothers they would be home in a few hours.”

The Bosnian attack was from the direction of ]. ] troops were burning houses in Serb hamlets above Kravica under a Bosnian assault from ]. The Serbs attempted to hold out but were overwhelmed by the overwhelming numbers of Bosnian troops, ten to one.

Sudetic described the scene when Bosnian troops entered ] on “bloody Christmas” as follows: “The first of the torbari to arrive in Kravica found entire Christmas dinners that had been waiting to be eaten by Serb men who had gone off to fight that morning thinking they would be back by noon. Three Muslim soldiers barged into one home and stood there as if paralyzed at the sight of the pastries and the jelly, the bottles of brandy and the roast pork on the stove. They laughed and shouted and plunged into a cake. The ashes of burning houses and stalls fell like snow on the hillside. The pigs ran wild. Sheep were butchered and roasted on the spit or herded back to Srebrenica with the cows and oxen. The dead lay unburied, and within days the pigs, dogs, and wild animals had begun to tear away at the bodies….The torbari combed the homes in Kravica for the next two weeks scavenging for food.”

The ] located frozen potatoes, pickled peppers, a sack of oats, and a pair of bell-bottom pants. Forty-five Serbs died in the ], thirty-five of them were soldiers. All 690 houses in Kravica were looted and set on fire. Bosniak ] “]” said that “after the attack on Kravica, Naser’s soldiers caught five or six Serbs in the village of ] and they slit their throats.” Oric now had occupied 350 square miles of territory in eastern Bosnia.

===Attack on the village of Kamenica===


In 1990, Orić was deployed to ] as a member of a Special Police unit of the ] of the ].<ref name="ICTY - Third Amended Indictment">{{cite web |title=Naser Oric - Third Amended Indictment |url=https://www.icty.org/x/cases/oric/ind/en/ori-3ai050630e.htm |website=ICTY.org |publisher=The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia}}</ref> Thereafter, he returned to Belgrade. He worked in quelling the civil unrest during the ], arresting ].<ref name="Muslimovic" /> During that time he also worked as a bouncer at the famous Belgrade nightclub Metro (formerly Zvezda) in ]. In August 1991, Orić was transferred to a police station in ], outside ].<ref name="ICTY - Third Amended Indictment" /> He was moved to the police station in Srebrenica in late 1991. In April 1992 he became the ] of the ] police sub-station.<ref name="ICTY - Third Amended Indictment" />
On November 6, 1992, Bosnian military units from Srebrenica attacked and captured the village of ] in the ] district, in which action Bosnian Serb soldiers were captured. When the troops of the ] recaptured Kamenica in February, 1993, they discovered seven ] containing the bodies of 41 ] soldiers. The ] bodies were examined by ] ] ], who was able to establish that the arms and legs of the majority of the bodies had been broken and the heads had been smashed and cut off. Some of the bodies still had the wires, belts, and cables, with which they were tied up and tortured. Eight of the bodies were so badly mutilated that they could not be identified. The Bosnian units murdered not only Bosnian Serb civilians, but also Bosnian Serb POWs in violation of the laws and customs of war and the Geneva Conventions on the treatment of POWs.


===Territorial Defence (April 1992–September 1992)===
===Attack on the village of Skelani ===
With the disintegration of the ], a cadre staff consisting of former JNA officers began to prepare for the defence of Bosnia and Herzegovina.<ref name="ICTY - Third Amended Indictment" /> On 8 April 1992, the ] transformed the existing Territorial Defence of ] into the ].<ref name="ICTY - Third Amended Indictment" />


In mid-April 1992, the Potočari TO was established, and Orić became its Commander.<ref name="ICTY - Amended Indictment" /> In May 1992, members of the Crisis Staff of the TO Srebrenica appointed him as the Commander, which ], Chief of the Supreme Command Staff of the ] (ARBiH), officially confirmed in June.<ref name="ICTY - Amended Indictment" /> Orić also became a member of the War Presidency in Srebrenica upon its creation on 1 July.<ref name="ICTY - Amended Indictment" />
In January, 1993, Oric attacked the town of ] on the ]. Hundreds of Serbian civilians fled eastward across the Drina River into ] in boats. Bosnian troops advanced to about a hundred yards from the steel-girder bridge in Skelani. The Bosnian forces sought to take the bridge and to blow it up. Sudetic described the attack as follows: “gunfire ripped back and forth across the river, but the Serbs held the Muslims off. During the gun battle, a Muslim machine gunner cut down panicked Serb villagers, including women and children, as they tried to scurry across the bridge to the safety of the Serbian side.”


===Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina (September 1992–1995)===
===Artillery attack on the village of Banja Kovaljaca===
In September, 1992, the Srebrenica TO HQ was renamed the HQ Srebrenica Armed Forces. Orić remained the commander.<ref name="ICTY - Amended Indictment" /> Orić's command was further extended when he was appointed the Commander of the Joint Armed Forces of the Sub-Region Srebrenica in early November 1992.<ref name="ICTY - Amended Indictment" /> Now his command encompassed the geographical regions of several municipalities: Srebrenica, Bratunac, Vlasenica and ] in Eastern Bosnia.<ref name="ICTY - Amended Indictment" /> Orić received a Certificate of Merit in April 1993.<ref name="ICTY - Amended Indictment" />


On New Year's Day 1994, all units under the command of Orić were named the 8th Operative Group Srebrenica HQ, ].<ref name="ICTY - Second Amended Indictment">{{cite web|url=https://www.un.org/icty/indictment/english/ori-2ai041004e.htm|title=Naser Orić: second amended indictment|publisher=The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia|access-date=23 July 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090303134851/http://www.un.org/icty/indictment/english/ori-2ai041004e.htm|archive-date=3 March 2009}}</ref> On 12 July 1994, Orić was promoted to the rank of ], and sometime before the first of March he was awarded the ], the highest award given by the Chief of Staff of the Supreme Command of the ARBiH.<ref name="ICTY - Second Amended Indictment" /> In early 1995, the 8th Operative Group Srebrenica HQ was renamed the ABiH 2nd Corps 28th Mountain Division.<ref name="ICTY - Second Amended Indictment" />
Bosnian military units allegedly fired artillery shells into Serbia. The Serbian town of ] was hit by three 82 mm caliber artillery shells fired by Bosnian units from Bosnia into Serbia. A 79 year old woman, ], was killed, while another Serbian civilian was seriously injured.


==Orić in Srebrenica 1992–1995==
==Bosnian Serb counteroffensive==
===Background===
In 1990, the ] that ruled the ] (SFRY) dissolved. Ethnically defined political parties emerged in ] (BiH), which was one of the six republics that once constituted SFRY, and fought over BiH's future.<ref name="ICTY Naser Oric">{{cite web |title= Prosecutor v. Naser Orić IT-03-68-T |pages=31-32, 37-38, 60, 139 |website=ICTY |date=30 June 2006 |url=https://www.icty.org/x/cases/oric/tjug/en/ori-jud060630e.pdf |access-date=December 18, 2020}}</ref> In November 1991, a Bosnian Serb plebiscite reflected support for BiH to remain within the SFRY. However, an overwhelming majority of Bosnian Muslims and Bosnian Croats voted for BiH independence, in the next few months.<ref name="ICTY Naser Oric" />


===Beginning of the war in Srebrenica===
Sudetic described the effect the border attack had in Serbia: “The stories of the fleeing civilians shot down on the Skelani bridge enraged all of Serbia.” Following these event, the Bosnian Serb military commander Ratko Mladic was able to launch a counterattack that drove northwest and pushed the Bosnian forces back into Srebrenica. The Bosnian Serb forces stopped ten miles southwest of Srebrenica. In Srebrenica itself, the Bosnian troops retaliated against Serbian civilians in the town. Sudetic described what happened in Srebrenica as a result of the counterattack: “A double murder had been committed the night before in the apartment building just below the Celik house. A Muslim soldier seeking revenge for the death of a relative, a military-police chief killed near Skelani, had used the butt of his revolver to smash the skulls of a Serb man and his elderly mother.” They were Slobodan Zekic and his mother Zagorka. Dragica Vasic knew them both. Sudetic described the murder: “Dragica had known both of the victims; Slobodan Zekic and his mother, Zagorka, were the second Serb family that Dragica had seen murdered since the war began. Zagorka, an elderly woman, had suffered a stroke and had been bedridden for years; and Slobodan, a middle-aged former factory worker, had stayed on in Srebrenica to care for her.”
Srebrenica, and the surrounding Central Podrinje region, held immense strategic importance to both the Serbs and the Bosniaks during the ensuing ].<ref>{{cite web |title= Prosecutor v. Radislav Krstic IT-98-33-T |page=4 |website=ICTY |date=30 June 2006 |url=https://www.icty.org/x/cases/krstic/tjug/en/krs-tj010802e.pdf |access-date=December 18, 2020}}</ref>


Srebrenica was a focal point in the Serb strategy and was gradually isolated by the Serb forces in 1992. By April 1992, the Yugoslav People's Army (JNA) had set up artillery at all strategic points surrounding Srebrenica.<ref name="ICTY Naser Oric" /> In 1992, Bosniak villages around Srebrenica were under attacks by Serb forces. According to the Naser Orić trial judgement:<ref name="ICTY Naser Oric" /><blockquote>"Between April 1992 and March 1993, Srebrenica town and the villages in the area held by Bosnian Muslims were constantly subjected to Serb military assaults, including artillery attacks, sniper fire, as well as occasional bombing from aircraft. Each onslaught followed a similar pattern. Serb soldiers and paramilitaries surrounded a Bosnian Muslim village or hamlet, called upon the population to surrender their weapons, and then began shelling and shooting. In most cases, they then entered the village or hamlet, expelled or killed the Bosniak forces, who offered no significant resistance. Meanwhile, in a number of villages around Srebrenica the Bosniak population began to organize local resistance groups.</blockquote>
By February 9, 1993 the Bosnian Serb military commander ] launched a full-scale counteroffensive against Oric’s troops. Five days later, Bosnian Serb troops took the town of ] north of ]. Foreign journalists escorted to the Kamenica area by the Serb army were shown corpses that had been devoured by animals and other bodies that had been pulled from a pond and exhumed from three muddy graves on a forested ridge. The Bosnian Serbs alleged that the bodies belonged to prisoners whom the Bosniaks had tortured and killed.


From April 1992 onward, Naser Orić personally led a group of 20-30 Bosnian Muslim fighters from his native Potočari, a village about four kilometres northeast of Srebrenica. Orić was chief of the Potočari police sub-station and his group was involved in holding the front line and resisting Serb attacks on Potočari.<ref name="ICTY Naser Oric" />
== Naser Oric and the Srebrenica Safe Haven ==


On April 18, 1992, Srebrenica fell to the Bosnian Serbs. However, Naser Orić and a handful of lightly-armed fighters based in Potočari ambushed and killed a number of Serb paramilitaries.<ref name="ICTY Naser Oric" /> On 6 May, Bosniaks led by Naser Orić carried out their first attack on a village, Gniona, to the north of the town of Srebrenica in which some Serb civilian were massacred. On May 8, 1992, a leader of the Serb forces at Srebrenica, Goran Zekić was killed in an ambush.<ref name="ICTY Naser Oric" /> At around the same time, the Serb forces retreated from Srebrenica and Naser Orić, together with other Bosnian Muslim fighters and civilians reoccupied Srebrenica.<ref name="ICTY Naser Oric" />
On April 17, 1993, ] was made a “]”, but Bosnian forces continued to kill Bosnian Serb civilians and engage in sabotage activities. On May 27, 1995, Bosnian forces from Srebrenica allegedly attacked the village of ] in the ] municipality and killed five Bosnian Serb civilians who were cutting wood in the forest. On June 23 four Bosnian Serb civilians were killed in the ] municipality, again, allegedly by Bosnian soldiers from Srebrenica. Three days later, the village of ] in the Milici municipality was attacked and one Serb killed and two injured and the village was burned down by Bosnian forces from Srebrenica.


The Prosecution at the ICTY alleged that between September 24, 1992 and March 20, 1993, the military police, under Orić's command and control, subjected several Serb individuals to physical abuse, serious suffering and injury to body and health, inhumane treatment, and in some cases, murder.<ref name="ICTY Naser Oric" /> However, Orić was acquitted of these charges by the ICTY Appeals Chamber, who found that there is insufficient evidence to hold Orić responsible for the crimes with which he was charged.<ref>{{cite web |title= Prosecutor v. Naser Orić IT-03-68-A |page=63 |website=ICTY |date=3 July 2008 |url=https://www.icty.org/x/cases/oric/acjug/en/080703.pdf |access-date=December 20, 2020}}</ref>
In a 1998 ] Report to the Secretary-General termed the ], the UN conceded that Naser Orc’s forces “used techniques of ethnic cleansing” in burning Serbian villages and terrorizing Serbian civilians to flee. It was also conceded that they “apparently tortured and mutilated” Bosnian Serb civilians and soldiers. The Report also acknowledged that “Serb sources claim that over 1,300 people were killed” in the Srebrenica area by Naser Oric’s forces based in Srebrenica.


Almost none of the Serbs, who lived in Srebrenica before the war, stayed in the town. Bosnian Serb forces committed a ] on 9 May and in Bratunac on 10 May through 13 May. Serb forces surrounded Srebrenica and started to bomb the town.{{citation needed|date=November 2015}}
The UN further acknowledged that the Bosnian army (]) had the 28th Division in Srebrenica, made up of 3,000 to 4,000 soldiers. The ICTY indictment of Naser Oric for war crimes, however, lists the following military formations in the Srebrenica area: Company Srebrenica from Independent Battalion Srebrenica, Brigade Potocari, Brigade Suceska, Brigade “3 Maj” Kragljivoda, Independent Battalion Osmace, Company Pusmulici of the Srebrenica Independent Battalion, Independent Battalion Skenderovici, 114th East Bosnian Brigade, Independent Battalion Voljavica, Independent Battalion Biljeg, 1st Cerani Detachment, Company Kazani from Independent Battalion Srebrenica, Independent Battalion “5 Juli” Tokoljaci, 6th Detachment Kamenica, and Company Stari Grad. The Bosnian forces were organized in military formations and were equipped with AK-47 assault rifles, machine guns, grenades, grenade launchers, mortars, artillery, anti-tank missiles, and even tanks. Helicopters were used to transport arms and personnel from Tuzla.


General ] of France, Commander of the ] (UNPROFOR), visited Srebrenica in March 1993. By then the town was overcrowded and siege conditions prevailed. There was almost no running water as the advancing Serb forces had destroyed the town’s water supplies; people relied on makeshift generators for electricity, and food, medicine and other essentials were extremely scarce. Before leaving, General Morillon told the panicked residents of Srebrenica at a public gathering that the town was under the protection of the UN and that he would never abandon them.{{citation needed|date=April 2016}}
In the Srebrenica pocket, it was Naser Oric’s forces who were attacking villages and occupying territory. These Bosnian offensives and attacks forced the Bosnian Serbs to launch a counterattack. UN General ] explained in his ICTY testimony why the Bosnian Serb forces were counterattacking in Srebrenica: “Oric was responsible for several massacres in which dozens of women and children had been killed, and it seemed to me there was more hatred in that one small corner of Bosnia than anywhere else… Mladic wanted to avenge his dead.”


===The attacks===
Oric’s war crimes and atrocities provoked the Bosnian Serb response. ] journalist ] emphasized the war crimes committed by Oric’s forces as a cause for the Bosnian Serb retaliation:
The attacks under Orić's command mentioned in the ICTY indictment, by Deputy Prosecutor ], are listed below:
:*15–20 May, the villages of Viogor, Orahovica and Osredak were attacked. The main objective of these attacks was to link up various Bosniak resistance centers around Srebrenica. {{citation needed|date=November 2015}}
:*21-27 June, the villages of Ratkovici, Bradjevina, Ducici, and Gornji Ratkovici were attacked by Orić's forces. The objective of the attack was reportedly to prevent further shelling of Srebrenica enclave.<ref name="ICTY - Second Amended Indictment" />
:*8 August, the villages of Jezestica and Bozici were attacked by forces under the command of Naser Orić after repelling an attack of Serb paramilitary known as Panteri.<ref name="ICTY - Second Amended Indictment" />
:*24 September, the village of Podravanje, which was on the road between Srebrenica and ], was attacked. 19 Serbs were reportedly killed.{{citation needed|date=September 2016}}
:*26 September, Orić's forces attacked the villages of Nedeljista and Rogosija near Milici after repelling an attack by Serbs.
:*5 October, Orić attacked Fakovici and other villages along the river ]. According to a Dutch government report (NIOD report), Orić's forces killed at least 24 Serb soldiers and burned down 36 buildings. Serbs at the other (i.e. Serbian) side of the Drina were involved in skirmishes as well. The report states that Serbs were using small boats as platforms for machineguns.<ref name="ICTY - Second Amended Indictment" /><ref name="NIOD Pt2Ch2">{{cite web|url=http://213.222.3.5/srebrenica/toc/p2_c02_s004_b01.html|title=Dutchbat in the enclave|publisher=Netherlands Institute for War Documentation (NIOD)|access-date=23 July 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060721152501/http://213.222.3.5/srebrenica/toc/p2_c02_s004_b01.html|archive-date=21 July 2006}}</ref>
:*6 November, Bosniak forces, led by Orić, attacked and captured the village of Kamenica (Bosnia and Herzegovina).
:*14-19 December, Bosnian Army and ] under the command of Orić attacked the villages of Bjelovac, Voljavica, ], and Sikirić after an attack by the Serb Army.<ref name="ICTY - Second Amended Indictment" />
:*7 January 1993 (] ] Day), Bosniak forces under Orić captured the Serb villages of ], Siljkovici and Jezestica. An estimated 25 ] troops and eleven civilians were killed in the attack. The attack was reportedly in response to shelling by Serb forces.<ref name="ICTY - Second Amended Indictment" /><ref name="times">{{cite web|url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3-1684669_2,00.html|title=Massacre memorial clouded by desire for bloody revenge|access-date=18 November 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080113010003/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3-1684669_2,00.html|archive-date=13 January 2008}}</ref>
:*16 January 1993, Orić attacked the village of Skelani, on the border with Serbia,<ref>{{cite web |title=Public Sitting - Verbatim Record |url=https://www.icj-cij.org/files/case-related/91/091-20060313-ORA-02-00-BI.pdf |website=ICJ-CIJ.org |publisher=International Court of Justice |page=38 |date=13 March 2006}}</ref> killing at least 40 Serbs.<ref>{{cite book | title=Chronology of the Yugoslav Crisis, 1942-1993 |volume= 1 |isbn= 9788682057024|first1=Slobodanka |last1=Kovačević|first2= Putnik |last2=Dajić| publisher=Institute for European Studies |year= 1994| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mBwWAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA141| page=141}}</ref>


===UN Safe Area===
Naser Oric, a former bodyguard to Milosevic, who placed himself at the head of an increasingly effective Bosnian guerrilla force that, in the fall and winter of 1992, wreaked havoc on surrounding Serb villages. Oric liked to show visitors videos of piles of Serb bodies. He would boast about the number killed in a succession of lightning raids in the Bratunac area in which Serb communities were massacred and buildings torched. …Mladic liked to usher United Nations officials into desecrated Serb cemeteries in Bosnia in order to explain why he could never trust “the Turk”.
On 10 January 1993 the Bosnian Serb military commander ] launched a full-scale offensive against Srebrenica. On 17 April 1993, the city was made a ] by the ], while fighting between Serb forces and Orić's units in Srebrenica continued with the Serbs retaking much of the territory lost during 1992.{{citation needed|date=November 2015}}


In July 1995, the partially disarmed "]" was ultimately overrun by the ], resulting in the ]. Orić, along with rest of the command staff of 8th OG, was evacuated by helicopter in May 1995 two months prior to the fall of the ].
In ] article “Fearsome Muslim Warlord Eludes Bosnian Serb Forces”, July 16, 1995, ] described his visit to Oric’s headquarters in Srebrenica in 1994:


==ICTY war crimes trial==
I met him in January, 1994…Oric, as blood-thirsty a warrior as ever crossed a battlefield, escaped Srebrenica before it fell…On a cold and snowy night, I sat in his living room watching a shocking video version of what might have been called Naser Oric’s Greatest Hits….There were burning houses, dead bodies, severed heads, and people fleeing….Oric grinned throughout, admiring his handiwork. “We ambushed them,” he said, when a number of dead bodies appeared on the screen. ..The next sequence of dead bodies had been done in by explosives: “We launched those guys to the moon,” he boasted. …When footage of a bullet-marked ghost town appeared without any visible bodies, Oric hastened to announce: “We killed 114 Serbs there.”…Later there were celebrations, with singers with wobbly voices chanting his praises…Lately, however, Oric increased his hit-and-run attacks at night. And in Mladic’s view, it was far too successful for a community that was supposed to be suppressed….The Serbs regard Oric…as a war criminal.
After the ], Orić opened a ] in ]. In a post-war TV interview, he stated "It's a fact that I was one of the main commanders in Srebrenica and, if I have to answer to someone, I'll answer; but I'd first have to bring up the time, space and situation in which we lived, as well as what the Serbs did to us compared to what we did to them. If Naser has to answer to someone, I'm right here and I'm not running away from responsibility, I'm not running away from the court, I'm not running away from the Hague or anyone. You just have to call on me and no problem."<ref>Archived at {{cbignore}} and the {{cbignore}}: {{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hd0oc4t2-Hc |title=Naser Oric - Zlatni ljiljan i heroj|publisher=YouTube |date=2010-01-06 |access-date=2015-11-18}}{{cbignore}}</ref>


An indictment at the ICTY against Orić was submitted on 17 March 2003 and confirmed on 28 March. He was indicted on two counts of individual responsibility and four counts of ] for violations of the laws or customs of war, and was arrested at his club by ] on 10 April 2003 and transferred to the Hague the next day. Orić appeared before the court on 15 April and pleaded "not guilty" to all the counts of the ]. He was denied a provisional release on 25 July 2003 and was held at the ICTY from 11 April 2003 until 30 June 2006.<ref name="case sheet">{{Cite web |title=Case Information Sheet: (IT-03-68) NASER ORIĆ |url=https://www.icty.org/x/cases/oric/cis/en/cis_oric_en.pdf |website=International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia}}</ref>
In the February 16, 1994 ] article “Weapons, Cash and Chaos Lend Clout to Srebrenica’s Tough Guy”, ] described Oric’s atrocities and war crimes: “Nasir Oric’s war trophies don’t line the wall… They’re on a videocassette tape: burned Serb houses and headless Serb men, their bodies crumpled in a pathetic heap…. “We had to use cold weapons that night,” Oric explains as scenes of dead men sliced by knives roll over his 21-inch Sony.”


===The indictment===
Pomfret acknowledged that the Bosnian troops in Srebrenica sneaked past the U.N. Canadian observation posts to take “pot shots” at Serbian troops.
Orić was accused of torture and cruel treatment of eleven and killing of seven ] men being detained in the Srebrenica police station in 1992/1993, and to punish the perpetrators thereof. He was also accused of having ordered (and led) numerous guerrilla ] into as many as 50 Serb-populated villages in 1992–1993, particularly in the municipalities of Bratunac and Srebrenica. Bosnian Serb buildings, dwellings, and other property in predominantly Serb villages, were burnt and destroyed, hundreds of Serbs were murdered, and thousands of ethnic Serbs fled the area.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.un.org/icty/indictment/english/ori-2ai041004e.htm|title=International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia|publisher=Un.org|access-date=18 November 2015}}</ref>


===The trial===
==Naser Oric war crimes denyers and revisionism==
The trial began on 6 October 2004 and the prosecution completed its case on 31 May 2005.<ref name="case sheet" /> A week later the tribunal dropped two of the counts against him, withdrew all allegation of ]ing ] and ]; the tribunal also dropped two villages from the list of alleged raids.<ref>{{cite web |title=Oral Decision Rendered Pursuant to Rule 98bis in the Oric Case |url=https://www.icty.org/en/press/oral-decision-rendered-pursuant-rule-98bis-oric-case |website=ICTY.org |date=8 June 2005}}</ref>


The defense case commenced on 4 July 2005 and ended on 10 April 2006.<ref name="case sheet" /> The prosecution asked for an eighteen-year prison term, while the defense asked for an acquittal.<ref>{{cite news |title=Srebrenica commander acquitted |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2008/7/3/srebrenica-commander-acquitted |work=Al Jazeera |date=3 July 2008}}</ref> In all there were 196 trial days, 83 witnesses testifying (52 called by prosecution, 30 by defense and 1 by the trial chamber) and 1,649 exhibits presented as evidence. The decision in the case was delivered on 30 June 2006.<ref name="case sheet" />
Many ] sources as well as some ] sources, claim that Naser Oric is a ] who defended the enclave of Srebrenica from Bosnian Serb forces and that the attacks on Serb villages around ], which most accept took place, were in fact made with the aim of obtaining food and other resources for the closed off enclave. It is also alleged that there is no connection between Nasir Oric's actions in eastern Bosnia and the subsequent Bosnian Serb counteroffensive, culminating in the ] in 1995.


===The verdict===
== War Crimes indictment ==
The ICTY convicted Orić for failing to prevent the murder and inhumane treatment of Serb prisoners. Orić, sentenced to two years in prison,<ref name="autogenerated1">{{cite web|url=https://www.un.org/icty/pressreal/2006/p1094-e.htm|title=ICTY – TPIY|work=un.org}}</ref> was released immediately for time already served. He was acquitted of direct involvement in the murder or cruel treatment of Serbs, and of responsibility for the "wanton destruction" of homes and property.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/5132684.stm?ls|work=BBC News|title=Bosnian Muslim guilty but freed|date=30 June 2006|access-date=19 May 2010}}</ref>


The judges noted that militarily superior Serb forces encircled the town and that there was an unmanageable influx of refugees there, as well as a critical shortage of food and the breakdown of law and order. The judges also noted that it was in those circumstances, Orić, then 25, was elected commander of a poorly-trained volunteer force that lacked effective links with government forces in Sarajevo. His authority was scorned by some other Bosnian leaders and his situation became worse as the Serb forces increased the momentum of their ].<ref name="autogenerated1"/>
After the ], he opened a ] ] in ].


The judges stated in the verdict that Orić had reason to know about murder and cruel treatment of Serbs on two specific occasions in the police station but acquitted him of all other crimes. Orić was acquitted of direct involvement in the murder of prisoners in the early years of the Bosnian War, but the court found he had closed his eyes to their mistreatment and failed to punish their killers. The three judges acquitted him of all charges related to the wanton destruction of Serb villages. The judges also took into account the lack of food and supplies and resulting lack of order and law during the Serbian siege on Srebrenica.<ref name="autogenerated1"/>
On ] ] he was indicted by the ICTY on two counts of individual responsibility and four counts of command responsibility for violations of the laws or customs of war, and was arrested without further incident at his club by ] on ] ]. He appeared before the court on ], ], and pleaded "not guilty" to all the counts of the ].


As for the destruction in the villages of ], ], ] and ], the judgment stated that "the accused and members of his group of fighters participated in the attack." In the case of the village of ], the court stated that "there is evidence to establish that property was destroyed on a large scale."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.un.org/icty/pressreal/2006/p1094e-summary.htm|title=ICTY – TPIY|work=un.org|access-date=18 November 2015}}</ref>
He is accused of ordering the cruel treatment of eleven and killing of seven Serb men after being detained in the Srebrenica police station in 1992-1993. His troops are accused of pillaging at least hundered and fifty Serb-inhabited villages and hamlets in fifteen raids, causing the massacres of its population and death of at least 1,300 civilians.


===The appeal===
Oric was charged with Cruel Treatment for the treatment of Bosnian Serb detainees between September 24 and October, 1992 at the Srebrenica Police Station by the Bosnian Military Police. ] was beaten with wooden poles and iron bars, punched and kicked. His teeth were forcibly extracted using pliers. Muslim soldiers then urinated in his mouth and he was forced to swallow urine. His teeth were broken and his ribs were fractured. ] was punched with fists and beaten with boots. He was beaten with rifle butts. He was beaten unconsciousness. His teeth in his upper jaw were broken and his ribs fractured. One of his shoulders was broken. His vision and hearing were impaired. ], ], and ] were punched, kicked, and beaten with wooden poles and iron bars.
On 31 July 2006, UN chief prosecutor ] announced she would appeal against the two-year sentence, saying it was too short. Orić's lawyer said she would also launch an appeal, saying her client did not commit any crime and should be acquitted.<ref> {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060824013338/http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/paperchase/2006/07/icty-prosecutor-appeals-light-sentence.php |date=2006-08-24 }}, law.pitt.edu; accessed 18 November 2015.</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/5229926.stm|work=BBC News|title=Bosnian Muslim sentence contested|date=30 July 2006|access-date=19 May 2010}}</ref><ref>, setimes.com, 31 July 2006.</ref><ref> {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071006143655/http://www.sense-agency.com/en/stream.php?sta=3&pid=8295&kat=3 |date=2007-10-06 }}, sense-agency.com; accessed 18 November 2015.</ref>


==After 2006 release from imprisonment==
Between December 15, 1992 and March 20, 1993, ] was beaten with fists, wooden poles, metal bars, baseball bats, and kicked with boots. He was stabbed with knives. His ribs were fractured, his teeth, nose, and cheekbone were broken. His head was smashed against metal bars and concrete walls, until losing consciousness. Bosnian Serb civilians ], ], ], ] were beaten with wooden poles, baseball bats and metal bars, kicked and punched, losing consciousness. Pejic lost so much weight as a result of the beatings and inhumane treatment that he was unable to walk and was exchanged on a stretcher.
As Orić had already spent more than two years in detention, following his trial he was released. He arrived at ] on 1 July 2006.<ref>{{cite web |title=OHR BiH Media Round-up, 2/7/2006 |url=http://www.ohr.int/ohr_archive/ohr-bih-media-round-up-272006/ |publisher=Office of the High Representative |date=2 July 2006}}</ref> On 4 July, he gave an interview to the Sarajevo daily ] in which he stated among other things that the atmosphere in the ICTY detention unit was jovial and that there was no hostility between the inmates who were former war time adversaries. Orić said he passed the time by working out and learning English. He added that he believed that the behavior of an indictee in the detention unit and in the courtroom would reflect the severity of the prison term one would receive.{{citation needed|date=November 2015}}


Naser Orić was arrested on 3 October 2008 by Bosnian police. He was charged in November 2008 with extorting 240,000 ] ($157,000) and illegal possession of weapons and ammunition.<ref>{{cite news |title=Bosnia wartime commander charged with extortion |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSLE361169 |work=Reuters |date=14 November 2008}}</ref> In July 2009 he was found guilty of illegal possession of weapons and ammunition but acquitted of extortion, and sentenced to two years in prison by a Sarajevo court.<ref>{{cite web |title=Naser Oric Sentenced |url=https://www.occrp.org/en/daily/298-naser-oric-sentenced |website=occrp.org |publisher=Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project |date=1 July 2009}}</ref> The sentence was subsequently reduced to four years probation and he was pardoned by the Bosnian Federation Presidency in 2012.<ref>{{cite web |title=Bosnian Federation president pardons Orić |url=https://www.b92.net/eng/news/region.php?yyyy=2012&mm=01&dd=13&nav_id=78267 |website=B92 |date=13 January 2012}}</ref>
Oric was charged as follows: Count 1: Murder, a violation of ] under the ] and ]. Count 2: ] under the tribunal and ]. Counts 3-6 were ] destruction of cities, towns or villages, not justified by military necessity, ] of public or private property. From May 1992 to February 1993, his forces burnt, destroyed, plundered a minimum of 50 predominantly Serbian villages and hamlets. “As a result, thousands of Serb individuals fled the area.” Cattle, furniture, and television sets were plundered.


===2015 imprisonment in Switzerland and extradition on new charges===
The trial began on October 6, 2004 and the prosecution completed its case on June 1, 2005. A week later the tribunal dropped 2 of the counts against him, withdrew all allegation of ] ] and ]. The tribunal also dropped two villages from the list of alleged raids along with the names of 2 persons allegedly killed by Oric's men. The defence case commenced on July, 4 2005 and ended on April 10, 2006. A decision is expected in the case by the end of June 2006. He has been incarcarated at the ICTY since April 11, 2003.
On 2 February 2014, Interpol National Central Bureau for Serbia issued an arrest warrant for Naser Orić at the request of the Serbian Justice Ministry on suspicion of war crimes against civilian populations in the villages around the Srebrenica municipality in July 1992.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tuzilastvorz.org.rs/html_trz/VESTI_SAOPSTENJA_2014/VS_2014_01_29_ENG.pdf|title=INVESTIGATION AGAINST ORIĆ AND OTHERS PURSUED|publisher=Tuzilastvorz.org.rs|access-date=18 November 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140308072445/http://www.tuzilastvorz.org.rs/html_trz/VESTI_SAOPSTENJA_2014/VS_2014_01_29_ENG.pdf|archive-date=8 March 2014}}</ref>


Swiss border police arrested him on 10 June 2015 on the French-Swiss border based on a warrant from Serbia.<ref>{{cite news|title=Naser Orić uhapšen u Švajcarskoj|newspaper=Novosti|date=10 June 2015|url=http://www.novosti.rs/vesti/naslovna/dosije/aktuelno.292.html:552378-Naser-Oric-uhapsen-u-Svajcarskoj}}</ref>
===Bosniak allegations that the trial is biased===
Reactions came from the ]-dominated government of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and organisations which support his innocence. The Bosnian government saw this as an attack by Serbia to cause tensions a month before the 20th anniversary of the ].<ref>{{cite web|title=Orić arrested in Switzerland|url=http://www.klix.ba/vijesti/bih/u-svicarskoj-uhapsen-naser-oric/150610109|publisher=Klix.ba|access-date=24 June 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Srebrenica locals warn on the consequences of Orić's arrest by Serbian authorities|url=http://radiosarajevo.ba/novost/192677/srebrenicani-o-slucaju-orica-ako-komandant-bude-izrucen-srbiji-svasta-ce-se-desiti|publisher=Radiosarajevo.ba|access-date=24 June 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150625070049/http://radiosarajevo.ba/novost/192677/srebrenicani-o-slucaju-orica-ako-komandant-bude-izrucen-srbiji-svasta-ce-se-desiti|archive-date=25 June 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Orić most likely to be sent to Bosnian authorities|url=http://www.klix.ba/vijesti/bih/svicarski-ured-za-pravdu-za-klix-ba-bih-ce-najvjerovatnije-imati-prednost-za-izrucenje-orica/150624068|publisher=Klix.ba|access-date=24 June 2015}}</ref>


In 2015, the mayor of the Srebrenica municipality, Ćamil Duraković, ordered, with the agreement of local authorities, a delay of the marking of the 20th anniversary of the genocide, if Orić were transferred to Serbian authorities.<ref>{{cite web|title=The 20th anniversary of the Srebrenica Genocide will be delayed|url=http://www.klix.ba/vijesti/bih/camil-durakovic-hapsenjem-orica-situacija-je-eskalirala-i-to-je-razlog-za-odgadjanje-dzenaze/150623083|publisher=Klix.ba|access-date=24 June 2015}}</ref>
Some Bosniaks allege that the tribunal has been biased against Oric. A number of witnesses testefied that Oric was aware of his impending indictment and told the commanders of ] in the ] are that he would surrender peacefully, but SFOR chose to arrest him forcefully in spite of this. On July, 25 2003 the tribunal denied his appeal for a provisional release, even though it was clear he was no flight risk. Many of the 52 witnesses that the prosecution called were members of the ] who participated in the siege and massacre and as such are untrustworthy. The prosecution has also been accused of providing forged documents which three expert witnesess failed to authenticate, and has also been warned but not sancioned for witholding exculpatory evidence. The judges at one point attempted to reduce the time that defence witnesses were allowed to testify, until an appeals chamber overturned this decision.
There is also outrage at the 18 year sentence that the prosecution has asked for. Oric is charged with failing to prevent and punish his subordinates for allegedlly killing 12 people.


The warrant by the Serbian prosecution alleges that Orić and Bosnian Army soldier Sabahudin Muhić killed three Bosnian Serb prisoners of war in the villages of Zalazje, Lolici and Kunjerac in 1992, three years before the infamous 1995 attack on Srebrenica. He was, however, extradited to Bosnia and Herzegovina, not Serbia.<ref>, balkaninsight.com, 27 August 2015; accessed 25 December 2015.</ref> In 2018 the State Court of Sarajevo acquitted him.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Muslimovic |first1=Admir |title=Bosnia Acquits Srebrenica Commander Naser Oric at Retrial |url=https://balkaninsight.com/2018/11/30/srebrenica-commander-naser-oric-war-crimes-retrial-verdict-11-30-2018/ |work=Balkan Insight |date=30 November 2018}}</ref>
These allegations have not, however, been supported by the Bosnian government or any official Bosnian state institutions.


==See also== ==References==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}
* ]


==External links== ==External links==
* * on Naser Orić
*
*
*
*
* * , Hague Justice Portal
* John Pomfret, , washingtonpost.com, February 1994
* , washingtonpost.com
*
* {{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?as_isbn=5941910037|script-title=ru:История югославского кризиса: 1990–2000|trans-title=The history of the Yugoslav crisis: 1990–2000|first=Elena|last=Guskova|publisher=Russkoe Pravo (publ.)|isbn= 5941910037|year=2001|language=ru}}


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Latest revision as of 17:31, 14 December 2024

Bosnian military commander
Naser Orić
Orić at the ICTY in 2008
Born (1967-03-03) 3 March 1967 (age 57)
Donji Potočari, SR Bosnia and Herzegovina, SFR Yugoslavia
Military career
Allegiance Yugoslavia
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Years of service1992–95
RankBrigadier
Unit28th Division (2nd Corps)
CommandsCommander in Srebrenica
Battles / wars

Naser Orić (born 3 March 1967) is a Bosnian former officer who commanded Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina (ARBiH) forces in the Srebrenica enclave in eastern Bosnia surrounded by Bosnian Serb forces, during the Bosnian War.

In 2006, he was sentenced to two years imprisonment by the Trial Chamber of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in the Netherlands for failing to prevent the deaths of five Bosnian Serb detainees and the mistreatment of eleven other detainees from late 1992 to early 1993 on the basis of superior criminal responsibility.

Orić was acquitted on other charges of wanton destruction and causing damage to civilian infrastructure beyond the realm of military necessity. On 3 July 2008, the Appeals Chamber of the ICTY reversed the Trial Chamber's conviction and acquitted Orić of all charges brought against him. In November 2018, he was formally acquitted by a Bosnian appeals court.

Early life

Naser Orić was born on 3 March 1967 in Donji Potočari, about 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) from the town of Srebrenica to Džemal and Hata. His grandfather had fought with the Ustaše, a ultranationalist movement, during World War II. Orić graduated from high school with a metalworking certificate.

Career

Orić was conscripted into the Yugoslav People's Army (JNA) in 1985/1986, where he served in a special unit for atomic and chemical defence. He left the JNA with the rank of corporal. In 1988, he completed a six-month training course in Zemun and served in Savski Venac in Belgrade as a trainee policeman. As a member of the police unit for special actions, he had courses for two more years. He was occasionally deployed to Kosovo and worked as a bodyguard for Slobodan Milošević when required. He guarded Milošević during the celebration of the 600th anniversary of the Battle of Kosovo at Gazimestan in Kosovo Polje in June 1989, when the Serbian president delivered a speech in front of hundreds of thousands of Serbs. Orić says he did not speak to Milošević when he guarded him, but says he did meet and talk with him years later when the two were both on trial at the Hague, remarking that Milošević acted "like a gentleman" and even gave him gifts.

In 1990, Orić was deployed to Kosovo as a member of a Special Police unit of the Ministry of the Interior of the Socialist Republic of Serbia. Thereafter, he returned to Belgrade. He worked in quelling the civil unrest during the March 1991 mass anti-war protests, arresting Vuk Drašković. During that time he also worked as a bouncer at the famous Belgrade nightclub Metro (formerly Zvezda) in Knez Mihailova Street. In August 1991, Orić was transferred to a police station in Ilidža, outside Sarajevo. He was moved to the police station in Srebrenica in late 1991. In April 1992 he became the police chief of the Potočari police sub-station.

Territorial Defence (April 1992–September 1992)

With the disintegration of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, a cadre staff consisting of former JNA officers began to prepare for the defence of Bosnia and Herzegovina. On 8 April 1992, the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina transformed the existing Territorial Defence of Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina into the Territorial Defence of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

In mid-April 1992, the Potočari TO was established, and Orić became its Commander. In May 1992, members of the Crisis Staff of the TO Srebrenica appointed him as the Commander, which Sefer Halilović, Chief of the Supreme Command Staff of the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina (ARBiH), officially confirmed in June. Orić also became a member of the War Presidency in Srebrenica upon its creation on 1 July.

Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina (September 1992–1995)

In September, 1992, the Srebrenica TO HQ was renamed the HQ Srebrenica Armed Forces. Orić remained the commander. Orić's command was further extended when he was appointed the Commander of the Joint Armed Forces of the Sub-Region Srebrenica in early November 1992. Now his command encompassed the geographical regions of several municipalities: Srebrenica, Bratunac, Vlasenica and Zvornik in Eastern Bosnia. Orić received a Certificate of Merit in April 1993.

On New Year's Day 1994, all units under the command of Orić were named the 8th Operative Group Srebrenica HQ, 2nd (Tuzla) Corps of the ABiH. On 12 July 1994, Orić was promoted to the rank of Brigadier, and sometime before the first of March he was awarded the Order of the Golden Lily, the highest award given by the Chief of Staff of the Supreme Command of the ARBiH. In early 1995, the 8th Operative Group Srebrenica HQ was renamed the ABiH 2nd Corps 28th Mountain Division.

Orić in Srebrenica 1992–1995

Background

In 1990, the League of Communists of Yugoslavia that ruled the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY) dissolved. Ethnically defined political parties emerged in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), which was one of the six republics that once constituted SFRY, and fought over BiH's future. In November 1991, a Bosnian Serb plebiscite reflected support for BiH to remain within the SFRY. However, an overwhelming majority of Bosnian Muslims and Bosnian Croats voted for BiH independence, in the next few months.

Beginning of the war in Srebrenica

Srebrenica, and the surrounding Central Podrinje region, held immense strategic importance to both the Serbs and the Bosniaks during the ensuing Bosnian war.

Srebrenica was a focal point in the Serb strategy and was gradually isolated by the Serb forces in 1992. By April 1992, the Yugoslav People's Army (JNA) had set up artillery at all strategic points surrounding Srebrenica. In 1992, Bosniak villages around Srebrenica were under attacks by Serb forces. According to the Naser Orić trial judgement:

"Between April 1992 and March 1993, Srebrenica town and the villages in the area held by Bosnian Muslims were constantly subjected to Serb military assaults, including artillery attacks, sniper fire, as well as occasional bombing from aircraft. Each onslaught followed a similar pattern. Serb soldiers and paramilitaries surrounded a Bosnian Muslim village or hamlet, called upon the population to surrender their weapons, and then began shelling and shooting. In most cases, they then entered the village or hamlet, expelled or killed the Bosniak forces, who offered no significant resistance. Meanwhile, in a number of villages around Srebrenica the Bosniak population began to organize local resistance groups.

From April 1992 onward, Naser Orić personally led a group of 20-30 Bosnian Muslim fighters from his native Potočari, a village about four kilometres northeast of Srebrenica. Orić was chief of the Potočari police sub-station and his group was involved in holding the front line and resisting Serb attacks on Potočari.

On April 18, 1992, Srebrenica fell to the Bosnian Serbs. However, Naser Orić and a handful of lightly-armed fighters based in Potočari ambushed and killed a number of Serb paramilitaries. On 6 May, Bosniaks led by Naser Orić carried out their first attack on a village, Gniona, to the north of the town of Srebrenica in which some Serb civilian were massacred. On May 8, 1992, a leader of the Serb forces at Srebrenica, Goran Zekić was killed in an ambush. At around the same time, the Serb forces retreated from Srebrenica and Naser Orić, together with other Bosnian Muslim fighters and civilians reoccupied Srebrenica.

The Prosecution at the ICTY alleged that between September 24, 1992 and March 20, 1993, the military police, under Orić's command and control, subjected several Serb individuals to physical abuse, serious suffering and injury to body and health, inhumane treatment, and in some cases, murder. However, Orić was acquitted of these charges by the ICTY Appeals Chamber, who found that there is insufficient evidence to hold Orić responsible for the crimes with which he was charged.

Almost none of the Serbs, who lived in Srebrenica before the war, stayed in the town. Bosnian Serb forces committed a massacre in the village of Glogova on 9 May and in Bratunac on 10 May through 13 May. Serb forces surrounded Srebrenica and started to bomb the town.

General Philippe Morillon of France, Commander of the United Nations Protection Force (UNPROFOR), visited Srebrenica in March 1993. By then the town was overcrowded and siege conditions prevailed. There was almost no running water as the advancing Serb forces had destroyed the town’s water supplies; people relied on makeshift generators for electricity, and food, medicine and other essentials were extremely scarce. Before leaving, General Morillon told the panicked residents of Srebrenica at a public gathering that the town was under the protection of the UN and that he would never abandon them.

The attacks

The attacks under Orić's command mentioned in the ICTY indictment, by Deputy Prosecutor David Tolbert, are listed below:

  • 15–20 May, the villages of Viogor, Orahovica and Osredak were attacked. The main objective of these attacks was to link up various Bosniak resistance centers around Srebrenica.
  • 21-27 June, the villages of Ratkovici, Bradjevina, Ducici, and Gornji Ratkovici were attacked by Orić's forces. The objective of the attack was reportedly to prevent further shelling of Srebrenica enclave.
  • 8 August, the villages of Jezestica and Bozici were attacked by forces under the command of Naser Orić after repelling an attack of Serb paramilitary known as Panteri.
  • 24 September, the village of Podravanje, which was on the road between Srebrenica and Žepa, was attacked. 19 Serbs were reportedly killed.
  • 26 September, Orić's forces attacked the villages of Nedeljista and Rogosija near Milici after repelling an attack by Serbs.
  • 5 October, Orić attacked Fakovici and other villages along the river Drina. According to a Dutch government report (NIOD report), Orić's forces killed at least 24 Serb soldiers and burned down 36 buildings. Serbs at the other (i.e. Serbian) side of the Drina were involved in skirmishes as well. The report states that Serbs were using small boats as platforms for machineguns.
  • 6 November, Bosniak forces, led by Orić, attacked and captured the village of Kamenica (Bosnia and Herzegovina).
  • 14-19 December, Bosnian Army and irregulars under the command of Orić attacked the villages of Bjelovac, Voljavica, Loznica, and Sikirić after an attack by the Serb Army.
  • 7 January 1993 (Orthodox Christmas Day), Bosniak forces under Orić captured the Serb villages of Kravica, Siljkovici and Jezestica. An estimated 25 VRS troops and eleven civilians were killed in the attack. The attack was reportedly in response to shelling by Serb forces.
  • 16 January 1993, Orić attacked the village of Skelani, on the border with Serbia, killing at least 40 Serbs.

UN Safe Area

On 10 January 1993 the Bosnian Serb military commander Ratko Mladić launched a full-scale offensive against Srebrenica. On 17 April 1993, the city was made a safe haven by the United Nations, while fighting between Serb forces and Orić's units in Srebrenica continued with the Serbs retaking much of the territory lost during 1992.

In July 1995, the partially disarmed "UN safe area" was ultimately overrun by the Bosnian Serb Army, resulting in the Srebrenica massacre. Orić, along with rest of the command staff of 8th OG, was evacuated by helicopter in May 1995 two months prior to the fall of the enclave.

ICTY war crimes trial

After the Dayton Peace Accords, Orić opened a fitness club in Tuzla. In a post-war TV interview, he stated "It's a fact that I was one of the main commanders in Srebrenica and, if I have to answer to someone, I'll answer; but I'd first have to bring up the time, space and situation in which we lived, as well as what the Serbs did to us compared to what we did to them. If Naser has to answer to someone, I'm right here and I'm not running away from responsibility, I'm not running away from the court, I'm not running away from the Hague or anyone. You just have to call on me and no problem."

An indictment at the ICTY against Orić was submitted on 17 March 2003 and confirmed on 28 March. He was indicted on two counts of individual responsibility and four counts of command responsibility for violations of the laws or customs of war, and was arrested at his club by SFOR on 10 April 2003 and transferred to the Hague the next day. Orić appeared before the court on 15 April and pleaded "not guilty" to all the counts of the indictment. He was denied a provisional release on 25 July 2003 and was held at the ICTY from 11 April 2003 until 30 June 2006.

The indictment

Orić was accused of torture and cruel treatment of eleven and killing of seven Serb men being detained in the Srebrenica police station in 1992/1993, and to punish the perpetrators thereof. He was also accused of having ordered (and led) numerous guerrilla raids into as many as 50 Serb-populated villages in 1992–1993, particularly in the municipalities of Bratunac and Srebrenica. Bosnian Serb buildings, dwellings, and other property in predominantly Serb villages, were burnt and destroyed, hundreds of Serbs were murdered, and thousands of ethnic Serbs fled the area.

The trial

The trial began on 6 October 2004 and the prosecution completed its case on 31 May 2005. A week later the tribunal dropped two of the counts against him, withdrew all allegation of plundering public and private property; the tribunal also dropped two villages from the list of alleged raids.

The defense case commenced on 4 July 2005 and ended on 10 April 2006. The prosecution asked for an eighteen-year prison term, while the defense asked for an acquittal. In all there were 196 trial days, 83 witnesses testifying (52 called by prosecution, 30 by defense and 1 by the trial chamber) and 1,649 exhibits presented as evidence. The decision in the case was delivered on 30 June 2006.

The verdict

The ICTY convicted Orić for failing to prevent the murder and inhumane treatment of Serb prisoners. Orić, sentenced to two years in prison, was released immediately for time already served. He was acquitted of direct involvement in the murder or cruel treatment of Serbs, and of responsibility for the "wanton destruction" of homes and property.

The judges noted that militarily superior Serb forces encircled the town and that there was an unmanageable influx of refugees there, as well as a critical shortage of food and the breakdown of law and order. The judges also noted that it was in those circumstances, Orić, then 25, was elected commander of a poorly-trained volunteer force that lacked effective links with government forces in Sarajevo. His authority was scorned by some other Bosnian leaders and his situation became worse as the Serb forces increased the momentum of their siege.

The judges stated in the verdict that Orić had reason to know about murder and cruel treatment of Serbs on two specific occasions in the police station but acquitted him of all other crimes. Orić was acquitted of direct involvement in the murder of prisoners in the early years of the Bosnian War, but the court found he had closed his eyes to their mistreatment and failed to punish their killers. The three judges acquitted him of all charges related to the wanton destruction of Serb villages. The judges also took into account the lack of food and supplies and resulting lack of order and law during the Serbian siege on Srebrenica.

As for the destruction in the villages of Kravica, Bjelovac, Fakovići and Sikirić, the judgment stated that "the accused and members of his group of fighters participated in the attack." In the case of the village of Šiljkovići, the court stated that "there is evidence to establish that property was destroyed on a large scale."

The appeal

On 31 July 2006, UN chief prosecutor Carla del Ponte announced she would appeal against the two-year sentence, saying it was too short. Orić's lawyer said she would also launch an appeal, saying her client did not commit any crime and should be acquitted.

After 2006 release from imprisonment

As Orić had already spent more than two years in detention, following his trial he was released. He arrived at Sarajevo International Airport on 1 July 2006. On 4 July, he gave an interview to the Sarajevo daily Dnevni Avaz in which he stated among other things that the atmosphere in the ICTY detention unit was jovial and that there was no hostility between the inmates who were former war time adversaries. Orić said he passed the time by working out and learning English. He added that he believed that the behavior of an indictee in the detention unit and in the courtroom would reflect the severity of the prison term one would receive.

Naser Orić was arrested on 3 October 2008 by Bosnian police. He was charged in November 2008 with extorting 240,000 Bosnian Marks ($157,000) and illegal possession of weapons and ammunition. In July 2009 he was found guilty of illegal possession of weapons and ammunition but acquitted of extortion, and sentenced to two years in prison by a Sarajevo court. The sentence was subsequently reduced to four years probation and he was pardoned by the Bosnian Federation Presidency in 2012.

2015 imprisonment in Switzerland and extradition on new charges

On 2 February 2014, Interpol National Central Bureau for Serbia issued an arrest warrant for Naser Orić at the request of the Serbian Justice Ministry on suspicion of war crimes against civilian populations in the villages around the Srebrenica municipality in July 1992.

Swiss border police arrested him on 10 June 2015 on the French-Swiss border based on a warrant from Serbia. Reactions came from the Bosniak-dominated government of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and organisations which support his innocence. The Bosnian government saw this as an attack by Serbia to cause tensions a month before the 20th anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide.

In 2015, the mayor of the Srebrenica municipality, Ćamil Duraković, ordered, with the agreement of local authorities, a delay of the marking of the 20th anniversary of the genocide, if Orić were transferred to Serbian authorities.

The warrant by the Serbian prosecution alleges that Orić and Bosnian Army soldier Sabahudin Muhić killed three Bosnian Serb prisoners of war in the villages of Zalazje, Lolici and Kunjerac in 1992, three years before the infamous 1995 attack on Srebrenica. He was, however, extradited to Bosnia and Herzegovina, not Serbia. In 2018 the State Court of Sarajevo acquitted him.

References

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  2. "Srebrenica Muslim chief cleared". bbc.co.uk. 3 July 2008. Retrieved 18 November 2015.
  3. "Bosnian Srebrenica commander acquitted of war crimes". ABC News. Retrieved 2018-11-30.
  4. ^ Bartrop, Paul (2012). A Biographical Encyclopedia of Contemporary Genocide. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO. p. 248. ISBN 978-0-313-38679-4.
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  6. ^ Mann, Michael (2005). The Dark Side of Democracy: Explaining Ethnic Cleansing. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 417. ISBN 9780521538541. Retrieved 14 February 2014.
  7. ^ "Amended Indictment - Naser Oric" (PDF). ICTY.org. The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.
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  11. ^ "Prosecutor v. Naser Orić IT-03-68-T" (PDF). ICTY. 30 June 2006. pp. 31–32, 37–38, 60, 139. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
  12. "Prosecutor v. Radislav Krstic IT-98-33-T" (PDF). ICTY. 30 June 2006. p. 4. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
  13. "Prosecutor v. Naser Orić IT-03-68-A" (PDF). ICTY. 3 July 2008. p. 63. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
  14. "Dutchbat in the enclave". Netherlands Institute for War Documentation (NIOD). Archived from the original on 21 July 2006. Retrieved 23 July 2015.
  15. "Massacre memorial clouded by desire for bloody revenge". Archived from the original on 13 January 2008. Retrieved 18 November 2015.
  16. "Public Sitting - Verbatim Record" (PDF). ICJ-CIJ.org. International Court of Justice. 13 March 2006. p. 38.
  17. Kovačević, Slobodanka; Dajić, Putnik (1994). Chronology of the Yugoslav Crisis, 1942-1993. Vol. 1. Institute for European Studies. p. 141. ISBN 9788682057024.
  18. Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: "Naser Oric - Zlatni ljiljan i heroj". YouTube. 2010-01-06. Retrieved 2015-11-18.
  19. ^ "Case Information Sheet: (IT-03-68) NASER ORIĆ" (PDF). International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia.
  20. "International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia". Un.org. Retrieved 18 November 2015.
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  26. JURIST – Paper Chase: ICTY prosecutor appeals light sentence for Bosnian Muslim war criminal Archived 2006-08-24 at the Wayback Machine, law.pitt.edu; accessed 18 November 2015.
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  28. Hague prosecutors appeal Orić's sentence, setimes.com, 31 July 2006.
  29. SENSE Tribunal: ICTY Archived 2007-10-06 at the Wayback Machine, sense-agency.com; accessed 18 November 2015.
  30. "OHR BiH Media Round-up, 2/7/2006". Office of the High Representative. 2 July 2006.
  31. "Bosnia wartime commander charged with extortion". Reuters. 14 November 2008.
  32. "Naser Oric Sentenced". occrp.org. Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project. 1 July 2009.
  33. "Bosnian Federation president pardons Orić". B92. 13 January 2012.
  34. "INVESTIGATION AGAINST ORIĆ AND OTHERS PURSUED" (PDF). Tuzilastvorz.org.rs. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 March 2014. Retrieved 18 November 2015.
  35. "Naser Orić uhapšen u Švajcarskoj". Novosti. 10 June 2015.
  36. "Orić arrested in Switzerland". Klix.ba. Retrieved 24 June 2015.
  37. "Srebrenica locals warn on the consequences of Orić's arrest by Serbian authorities". Radiosarajevo.ba. Archived from the original on 25 June 2015. Retrieved 24 June 2015.
  38. "Orić most likely to be sent to Bosnian authorities". Klix.ba. Retrieved 24 June 2015.
  39. "The 20th anniversary of the Srebrenica Genocide will be delayed". Klix.ba. Retrieved 24 June 2015.
  40. "Srebrenica Commander Naser Oric Charged With War Crimes: Former Bosnian Army general Naser Oric, who led Bosniak forces in battles against Serb troops in Srebrenica, was charged with war crimes against Serb prisoners in the area in 1992", balkaninsight.com, 27 August 2015; accessed 25 December 2015.
  41. Muslimovic, Admir (30 November 2018). "Bosnia Acquits Srebrenica Commander Naser Oric at Retrial". Balkan Insight.

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