Roland Bartetzko
Birth nameRoland Bartetzko
Nickname(s)Shaban
Born1970
Würselen, West Germany
Allegiance West Germany
 Germany
Croatian Republic of Herzeg-Bosnia
Kosovo Liberation Army
Service/branch German Army
Croatian Defence Council (HVO)
Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA)
Years of service1987–1992 (Bundeswehr)
1992–1994 (HVO)
1998–1999 (KLA)
Rank Oberfeldwebel
Battles/warsBosnian War
Kosovo War

Roland Bartetzko (born 1970) is a German former soldier, lawyer and convicted terrorist who fought with the Croatian Defence Council in the Bosnian War (1992–1995) and the Kosovo Liberation Army in the Kosovo War (1998–1999).

In 2001, Bartetzko orchestrated a car bombing outside a Yugoslav government office in Pristina, killing one Serb civilian, and injuring four others. After his fingerprint was found on the detonator, he was arrested and charged with murder, attempted murder and terrorism, becoming the first Westerner to be indicted on these charges in post-war Kosovo. The following year, he was convicted on all counts by an international court under the supervision of the United Nations Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), and sentenced to 23 years' imprisonment. Bartetzko's sentence was later commuted to 20 years' imprisonment. He was released on parole in 2015. He has maintained his innocence and claims he was framed by UNMIK. He wrote a book in 2018.

Early life and the Yugoslav Wars

Roland Bartetzko was born in the town of Würselen, near Aachen, in 1970.[1] He joined the Bundeswehr in 1987.[2] By the time he was dishonorably discharged from the Bundeswehr in 1992, he had reached the rank of staff sergeant (German: Oberfeldwebel). In 1992, he travelled to Bosnia and Herzegovina to fight in the Bosnian War and joined the Croatian Defence Council (HVO).[1] "To be able to call myself a soldier, I thought I had to fight," Bartetzko later remarked. "Otherwise, I could have joined a paintball club." Bartetzko was one of approximately 100 German citizens who volunteered to fight with the HVO, most of whom were far-right extremists. Bartetzko has denied being a neo-Nazi.[3] Bartetzko was assigned to the Ante Bruno Bušić Brigade, which fought the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina. He also fought during the Siege of Mostar.[2]

Bartetzko left the HVO in April 1994, citing the "very cruel scenes, which could be described as atrocities" he witnessed being committed by his fellow HVO fighters.[4] He subsequently volunteered to fight with the Croatian Army and participated in Operation Mistral 2 in the closing stages of the Bosnian War. Upon returning to Germany, Bartetzko was arrested for allegedly stealing a woman's handbag. Following the outbreak of the Kosovo War in 1998, Bartetzko travelled to Tirana, Albania. He subsequently crossed the Albanian–Yugoslav border into Kosovo and joined the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) as a volunteer. During his time with the KLA, he assumed the nom de guerre Shaban, the eighth month of the Islamic calendar.[2]

Terrorism conviction

On 18 April 2001, a car bomb exploded near the Centre for Peace and Tolerance in Pristina, the headquarters of the Yugoslav passport office in Kosovo, killing one civilian and wounding four others, including a woman who was left with serious injuries.[5] Yugoslav government official Aleksandar Petrović was later identified as the man killed in the bombing. The device used in the attack was filled with metal fragments.[6] According to the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) spokesperson Andrea Angeli, it contained around 10 kilograms (22 lb) of explosive. "For the future of Kosovo it could not be a more tragic incident," UNMIK police spokesperson Derek Chappell stated. "This is an attack against everything that people trying to build this country are working for."[5] The crime scene was quickly secured by UNMIK police and British KFOR personnel. UNMIK and KFOR soon discovered the detonator that had been used in the attack; Bartetzko's fingerprint was found to be on it.[7] Bartetzko was arrested several days after the bombing.[6] He was charged with murder, attempted murder and terrorism.[8] He was the first Westerner to be charged with murder in post-war Kosovo.[6]

In 2001, Bartetzko was discharged from the Bundeswehr under Paragraph 55 (5) of the Soldiers' Act, which is enforced when a soldier has "culpably violated their duty to serve" or "seriously endangered the military order or the reputation of the Bundeswehr".[3] Bartetzko's trial commenced in February 2002; he pleaded not guilty.[6] The trial was held under heavy security, with United Nations police officers wearing ballistic vests and armed with automatic rifles.[8] The prosecution argued that the bombing was a "revenge attack" stemming from Bartetzko's "hatred of Serbs". On 10 May 2002, Bartetzko was convicted on all counts and sentenced to 23 years' imprisonment.[6]

Imprisonment

Bartetzko was incarcerated at the Dubrava Prison in western Kosovo. He filed an appeal against the first-instance verdict, and on 12 November 2002, the Supreme Court of Kosovo reduced his sentence from 23 years to 20 years. In 2009, Bartetzko filed a request for interim measures with the Constitutional Court of Kosovo, alleging violations of his right to effective legal remedy, right to appeal, and human rights guaranteed by the European Convention on Human Rights. In August 2010, the motion was rejected by the Constitutional Court of Kosovo.[9]

Later life

Bartetzko was released on parole in 2015. Upon his release, he relocated to Pristina and found work providing legal services to a local media company, having studied law while imprisoned. In 2018, Bartetzko published a memoir, The Smell of War: Lessons from the Battlefield. He is an active contributor to the question-and-answer website Quora, where he discusses his wartime experiences. He continues to maintain that he was not responsible for the bombing of the Yugoslav passport office and has accused UNMIK of framing him.[3]

In 2022, Bartetzko went to Ukraine to provide logistical support for the Ukrainian war effort amidst the Russian invasion of the country.[10]

Bibliography

  • Bartetzko, Roland (January 2018). The Smell of War: Lessons from the Battlefield. SMS Publishing. ISBN 978-9951562355.

References

  1. 1 2 Arielli, Nir (2018). From Byron to Bin Laden. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. p. 85. ISBN 978-0-67498-223-9.
  2. 1 2 3 Rujevic, Nemanja (10 May 2017). ""Shabani" gjerman nuk e di sa serbë ka vrarë". Deutsche Welle (in Albanian). Retrieved 19 May 2021.
  3. 1 2 3 Rujevic, Nemanja (14 February 2019). "Als deutscher Guerillero in den Jugoslawienkriegen". Deutsche Welle (in German). Retrieved 2 July 2020.
  4. ↑ Arielli 2018, p. 188
  5. 1 2 "Kosovo capital hit by bomb blast". BBC News. 18 April 2001. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 "German guilty of Pristina bomb attack". BBC News. 10 May 2002. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
  7. ↑ Ip, Kwai Hong (2008). Arnold, Roberta (ed.). Law Enforcement Within the Framework of Peace Support Operations. Leiden, Netherlands: Martinus Nijhoff Publishers. p. 118. ISBN 978-9-0474-3138-1.
  8. 1 2 Ball, Howard (2002). War Crimes and Justice: A Reference Handbook. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO. pp. 44–45. ISBN 978-1-5760-7899-0.
  9. ↑ "Decision on the Request for Interim Measures" (PDF). Constitutional Court of Kosovo. 16 August 2010. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
  10. ↑ Solomon, Christopher (25 October 2022). "The geopolitical impact of Iran's role in the Ukraine war". The New Arab. Retrieved 3 December 2022.
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