Bosnian Immigrants accused of War Crimes

Chelsea Smothers Blog #12 4/15/2011 11:03 PM On Wednesday, two Bonsian immigrants were arrested in the Pacific Northwest on charges for war crime. They were accused of targeting Croats during the Balkans' bloody sectarian war in the 1990s. The two men were Edin Dzeko who is 39 and from Everett, Washington and Rasema Handanovic who is 39, also, and from Beaverton, Oregon. They were taken into custody on an extradition request from the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the U.S. attorney's offices in Washington and Oregan said in separate statements. The pair helped to lead an attack on the village of Trusina, in April of 1993. Sixteen people were killed and four civilians, which included two infants, were injured seriously due to the attack. Dzeko immigrated to the United States in 2001 and became a citizen in 2006. He allegedly forced a man out of his house at gunpoint, another member of Dseko's unit shot him. Dzeko also shot another man with an automatic rifle, said the extradition request. In 2002, Handanovic became a United States citizen. In the same incident, he allegedly shot a civilian woman and an elderly couple. Handanovic has also been accused of participating in "firing-squad-style executions" of unarmed captured Croatian soldiers and civilians in Gaj, said the Oregon U.S. attorney's office. David Gehrke, who is Dzeko's attorney, said that authorities may likely have the wrong man. Dzeko was 20 at the time of the incident, but he was described in the extradition request as a "senior staff member" of his unit. His attorney also added that Dzeko's name is common in Bosnia. Wheter Handovanic had an attorney was unclear. Referring to Dzeko's attorney, who stated that the wrong man may be being accused of such crimes, I personally believe is wrong. I feel like if enough information was collected to accuse this man of such war crimes, then it must be true. The killing and injuring of innocent people is absurd. Espicially the harming of two infants, it is morbid. What is to gain from such crimes? How heartless and cold does a person have to be? The same goes for Handovanic. She commited crimes just like Dzeko did. All of it is pointless, and cold, and morbid. I believe both should be punished for what they have done. http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-war-crimes-20110414,0,3846020.story