Inspection enters Tuzla prison over Elfeta Veseli's leave

The Ministry of Justice of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FBiH) has sent inspectors into the prison where Elfeta Veseli is serving a 13-year sentence, after claims surfaced that the woman convicted of murdering 12-year-old Slobodan Stojanovic spends several days a month outside the walls, in the Ilidza area near Sarajevo. In Republika Srpska and in Serbia this is not being read as a prison paperwork story. It is a question of how a final war crimes sentence for the killing of a Serb child is actually carried out in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and who answers for the leave that was signed off.

The claim was first made public by Nenad Nesic, leader of the DNS party. Within three days the justice minister in Sarajevo, the justice minister in Banja Luka, the prime minister of Republika Srpska and the president of the SNSD had all spoken.

Kamenica, July 27, 1992

Slobodan Stojanovic was 12 years old when he was killed on July 27, 1992 in Kamenica near Zvornik. Under the final judgment of the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Veseli was the direct perpetrator. She lived in Switzerland for years after the war, was arrested there in 2017 and extradited to Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The Court of BiH sentenced her to 10 years at first instance. The appeals panel raised the sentence to 13 years, and the judgment has been final since 2019. She is serving it in Tuzla prison. Flowers were laid on Slobodan Stojanovic’s grave in late July, on the anniversary of the killing.

Simple arithmetic explains why the issue surfaced this summer. Nine of the 13 years have passed since her arrest and extradition in 2017, which places her at the stage of a sentence where prison administrations typically begin approving leave.

Who signs off on prison leave?

Vedran Skobic, the FBiH justice minister, announced the inspection to check the grounds for the benefits granted, and in the same breath moved responsibility for the decision itself onto the prison management. He told public broadcaster RTRS:

“This is not her right, this is her option. Address all questions about why she was released on leave and under what criteria to the director.”

Skobic said his ministry has no power to approve leave outside prison and that the decision rests solely with the director of Tuzla prison. He added that Veseli’s sentence falls under the state law of Bosnia and Herzegovina on the execution of criminal sanctions rather than the Federation law, which pushes the question of accountability one step further away from the entity government.

“We cannot in any way influence his work. We can recommend that he also bear the public in mind, but he is not obliged to take that into account.”

That answer marked out the limits of his own office. It did not say under what criteria the leave was approved.

Banja Luka wants it in writing

Goran Selak, justice minister of Republika Srpska, said on July 29 that Skobic had confirmed to him that inspectors were on their way.

“I spoke with Minister Skobic, who told me he had sent an inspection to establish the circumstances of this case.”

In the same statement to the Tanjug agency, Selak gave his assessment of the case:

“As justice minister, but first and foremost as a man and a parent, I consider it absolutely unacceptable and disturbing for the public, and especially for the victim’s family, that a person convicted of the gravest war crimes against the civilian population, committed against a helpless child, is granted privileges.”

He also demanded transparent public information on how such decisions by the prison administration were justified.

One detail in that exchange has still not been cleared up. Tanjug reported on July 29 that the inspection had been sent to Zenica prison, while Skobic speaks of the director of Tuzla prison, where Veseli is serving her sentence. Until the findings are published, it is not confirmed which facility the inspectors actually entered.

Prime Minister Savo Minic of Republika Srpska asked the competent authorities to check the reports urgently and establish the criteria under which the benefits were approved. Milorad Dodik, president of the SNSD, spoke on July 31 and called the 13-year sentence an insult, saying the privileges showed that killing Serb children is treated as acceptable.

What the findings have to answer

The FBiH inspectors went in with three questions the public is waiting on:

• under what criteria the leave was approved, and whether the conditions were met
• who signed the decision, and on which dates Veseli was outside the facility
• whether her sentence is governed by state or entity law

The third question carries the furthest. If Skobic’s reading holds and the state law applies, the next address is not Sarajevo but the institutions at the level of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which would move the Veseli case out of prison administration and into a jurisdiction no entity government can close on its own.