Ramiz Delalić

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Ramiz Delalić
Nickname(s)Ćelo
Born(1963-02-15)15 February 1963
Priboj, SR Serbia, SFR Yugoslavia
Died27 June 2007(2007-06-27) (aged 44)
Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
AllegianceBosnia and Herzegovina Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Service/branchArmy of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Rank Brigadier
Unit9th Mountain Brigade (I Corps (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
Commands heldCommander of 9th Mountain Brigade of the 1st Corps
Battles/warsBosnian War
Siege of Sarajevo

Ramiz Delalić (15 February 1963 – 27 June 2007), widely known by his nickname Ćelo (Serbo-Croatian pronunciation: [tɕelo][nb 1]), was a Bosnian organized crime figure, war criminal and commander of the 9th Mountain Brigade in Sarajevo. He was one of several prominent underworld figures engaged by the Party of Democratic Action in preparations for the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Delalić gained notoriety as the main suspect who stood trial before a local court for the killing of Nikola Gardović on 1 March 1992.

Activities[edit]

Delalić, along with Mušan "Caco" Topalović were two of the criminals who helped to organize Bosniak paramilitaries in Sarajevo.[1] In addition to guarding key positions on Mount Trebević, their gangs "requisitioned" private vehicles; kidnapped men to dig trenches at the front; murdered, raped and robbed with impunity.[1]

Despite the stories surrounding him later during the war, namely his racketeering and extortion rings, his acts during the wartime were still considered[by whom?] far less controversial when compared to other local warlords, such as Jusuf "Juka" Prazina. Unlike Prazina and some other local gangsters, Delalić remained loyal and obedient to official Bosnian political and military authorities through the entire war-period, and it is even assumed that he was very close with Bosnian president Alija Izetbegović.[by whom?]

Sarajevo wedding attack[edit]

On 1 March 1992, an Orthodox-Serb Christian wedding procession in front of the Old Church in Sarajevo's old quarter of Baščaršija was attacked, resulting in death of the father of the groom, Nikola Gardović, and the wounding of a Serbian Orthodox priest. Delalić was identified by eyewitnesses as the shooter. However, Bosnian Muslim authorities made little effort to locate and prosecute him. On 8 December 2004, Delalić was charged with one count of first degree murder in relation to the wedding attack.[2] Delalić was shot and killed by unidentified gunmen in Sarajevo before the completion of his trial.

Death[edit]

Delalić was gunned down at the entrance to his apartment building in the center of Sarajevo, on 27 June 2007. The killer waited for Delalić and fired at him on two occasions, each time with multiple shots.[3] Immediately after the shooting, an ambulance arrived, though doctors pronounced Delalić dead shortly after. Police believed the murder was organized by Naser Kelmendi, a Kosovo-born drug trafficker and Delalić's rival.[4] Delalić was buried in the Kovači Cemetery, Sarajevo.

See also[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ The word means "baldy" - a common nickname in Sarajevo for criminals, because their heads were shaven during their time spent in prison

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Merrill, Christopher (2001). Only the Nails Remain: Scenes from the Balkan Wars. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 285. ISBN 978-0-74251-686-1.
  2. ^ "Media Round-Up, 8/12/2004". ohr.int. Office of the High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina. 8 December 2004.
  3. ^ "Detalji o ubistvu Delalića: Buha spojio ubice i Keljmendija". vijesti.me (in Serbian). Vijesti. 6 September 2014.
  4. ^ Jukic, Elvira M.; Peci, Edona (6 May 2013). "Kosovo Arrests Kelmendi on Drugs Charges". Balkan Insight. Retrieved 12 November 2019.
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