Info

Sonja Pension and bunker behind the pension

Location: Vogošća

Importance of the locality:

The Sonja Pension and the Bunker detention facility were established in March 1992 for Bosniak civilians. The prisoners were subjected to daily abuse, torture, and forced labour in combat zones where they were killed and wounded. The Army of RS had jurisdiction over the facility. At least fifteen women and girls were raped at the Sonja Pension.


Entity: Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina

Ethnic group: Bosniaks, Croats

Area that victims came from: Vogošća i Sarajeva

Responsibility: VRS

Court trials:

The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) convicted Momčilo Krajišnik, the wartime speaker of the National Assembly of Republika Srpska, for crimes committed in camps throughout BiH, under the doctrine of command responsibility, and sentenced him to 20 years in prison. Biljana Plavšić, wartime member of the Presidency of Republika Srpska, was sentenced to 11 years in prison. Radovan Karadžić, president of Republika Srpska, was sentenced to life in prison.
On 4 July 2014, the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina issued a first-instance judgement convicting Branko Vlačo, commander of the Bunker detention facility, for crimes against humanity and sentenced him to 15 years in prison. On 15 April 2015, the Appellate Chamber of the Court of BiH commuted Branko Vlačo’s sentence to 13 years in prison for crimes committed in Vogošća near Sarajevo.


Data source: ICTY (updated 06.12.2019)

Marked and photographed: 07.07.2019.

Map:


Updated: 06.02.2020

Legenda
Army of Republic of Bosnia and Hercegovina - ARBiH
Security services command centre - CSB
Herzeg Bosnia - HB
Croat Defense Forces - HOS
Army of Croatia - HV
Croat Defense Council - HVO
Yugoslav National Army - JNA
International Crime Tribunal for Former Yugoslavia - ICTY
Ministry of Interior - MUP
People's Defense of the Autonomous Province of Western Bosnia - NO APZB
Police station - SJB
Serb Army of Krajina - SVK
Territorial defense of Bosnia-Herzegovina - TO BiH
Army of Republic of Srpska - VRS
Army of Yugoslavia - VJ