Amir Coralic

During the conflicts in the Balkans in the 1990s, Amir Coralic (otherwise known as “Pango”) was a soldier in the pro-independence Bosniak army of Bihac Province – the “National Defense”.

In December 1993, Amir Coralic and two other militiamen abducted Marina, a 14-year-old girl, and her cousin Adela, a 15-year-old girl (assumed names), from their home. The two girls were taken outside the locality; Marina was raped and Adela was sexually assaulted.

Ten years later, TRIAL International conducted an investigation and managed to trace Amir Coralic. The NGO reported him to the Swiss and Bosnian authorities while supporting Marina in her pursuit of justice.

In 2015, a successful appeal before the Federal Criminal Court against the Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland allowed new proceedings to be opened in Switzerland. The accused then decided to surrender to the Bosnian authorities, to which he proposed to admit his guilt and to restitute the victim in exchange for a reduced prison sentence.

On October 19, 2015, the Bihac Cantonal Court (in Bosnia-Herzegovina) convicted Amir Coralic of the war crime of rape perpetrated against a minor. The restitution ordered (approximately US$35,000) was, in 2015, the highest sum ever paid to a victim of sexual violence in Bosnia-Herzegovina.