Sakib Mahmuljin | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Deputy of the Federal Minister of Defence | |
| In office 18 December 1996 – 12 March 2001 | |
| Prime Minister | Edhem Bičakčić |
| Minister | Ante Jelavić (1996–1998)Miroslav Prce (1998–2001) |
| Preceded by | Hasan Čengić |
| Succeeded by | Ferid Buljubašić |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 13 October 1952 Prijedor, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Yugoslavia |
| Nationality | Bosnian |
| Political party | Party of Democratic Action |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (1970–1991) Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina (1992–1996) Bosnia and Herzegovina (1996–2001) |
| Branch/service | • Yugoslav People's Army • Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina |
| Years of service | 1970–2001 |
| Rank | Brigadier general |
| Commands | 3rd Corps |
| Battles/wars | |
Sakib Mahmuljin (born 13 October 1952) is a Bosniak politician and former military leader who served as the commander of the 3rd Corps of the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina (ARBiH) during the Bosnian War. After the war, he was convicted of committing war crimes against Bosnian Serb prisoners and sentenced to eight years' imprisonment.
At the start of the Yugoslav Wars, Mahmuljin joined the Muslim Intelligence Service. He later commanded ARBiH units in clashes with the Croatian Defence Council in central Bosnia. In September 1994, Mahmuljin was appointed as the commander of the ARBiH 3rd Corps, serving in this capacity during the Battle of Vozuća between July and September 1995. In the aftermath of the battle, foreign mujahideen embedded with the 3rd Corps killed more than fifty Bosnian Serb prisoners of war, some of whom were beheaded. Following the war, Mahmuljin oversaw the settlement of foreign fighters and their families in villages that were formerly inhabited by Bosnian Serbs and Bosnian Croats. He also successfully ran on the ticket of the Bosniak-dominated Party of Democratic Action (SDA) in the 1996 Bosnian general election. Later that year, he was appointed as the deputy minister of defence of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, a position he held until 2001. In this role, he aided the United States' efforts to train and equip the Army of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Despite his reported ties with Islamic fundamentalists, U.S. officials reportedly considered him a moderate.
In December 2015, Mahmuljin was arrested by the Bosnian Police on charges of war crimes. His arrest was condemned by the SDA. In August 2019, Mahmuljin received an award from the Prime Minister of the Zenica-Doboj Canton, Mirza Ganić. The move was criticized by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe. In January 2021, Mahmuljin was found guilty of failing to prevent the killing and mistreatment of Bosnian Serb prisoners in Vozuća. He successfully appealed the decision later that year but was again found guilty at his retrial and sentenced to eight years' imprisonment in April 2022 in a final decision that could not be appealed. In August 2022, it was reported that Mahmuljin had fled Bosnia and Herzegovina and gone to Turkey.