Ismet Bajramović
Nickname(s)Ćelo
Born(1966-04-26)26 April 1966
Sarajevo, SR Bosnia and Herzegovina, SFR Yugoslavia
Died17 December 2008(2008-12-17) (aged 42)
Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Allegiance Bosnia and Herzegovina
Service/branchArmy of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Years of service1992–1993
Rank Brigadier
Commands heldHead of Military Police of Sarajevo
Battles/wars

Ismet "Ćelo" Bajramović (26 April 1966 – 17 December 2008) was a Bosnian soldier and reputed organized crime figure from Sarajevo. During the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina and specifically the siege of Sarajevo, Bajramović was one of the gangsters who played a key role in the defense of the city in the early days of the war.[1][2][3]

Biography

Bajramović was born in Sarajevo. Prior to the war he was a petty criminal who spent time in prison. After his release, Ćelo rose to become the most powerful gangster in Sarajevo and was dubbed the "Godfather of Sarajevo" by The New York Times in 1993.[4]

When the war began, criminal groups were among the first to resist the Yugoslav People's Army besieging Sarajevo. Ćelo was put in charge of the Dobrinja neighborhood. At the same time, he was head of the military police of Sarajevo and responsible for the central prison.[3] While commanding military police actions, he also engaged in smuggling, racketeering and cross-frontline trading.[5] In the fall of 1993 Bajramović was shot near the heart by a sniper.[4] He was evacuated from the city and returned in 1997.

During the war he was profiled by The New York Times and Vanity Fair magazine.[4] He also appeared in an episode of the PBS program Frontline on the story of Romeo and Juliet in Sarajevo which aired in 1994.[6]

In the post war years Bajramović was often arrested on various charges; in April 2000, he was arrested for murder and spent four years in prison until his conviction was overturned. Meanwhile, Bajramović's health began to decline as a result of the bullet wound to the heart. He suffered a tachycardia and was frequently hospitalized as a result. On 17 December 2008, Bajramović committed suicide by shooting himself in the temple in his Sarajevo home.[2] His declining health was cited as the motive for the suicide, according to his friends.[2]

References

  1. ↑ "Optužnica." (18 July 2005).Kantonalno Tužilaštvo Kantona Sarajevo.
  2. 1 2 3 "Ex-Bosnian War Commander Found Dead". Balkan Insight. 18 December 2008.
  3. 1 2 Burg, Steven L.; Shoup, Paul S. (1999). The War in Bosnia-Herzegovina: Ethnic Conflict and International Intervention. M.E. Sharpe. p. 138. ISBN 978-1-56324-308-0.
  4. 1 2 3 "Gangs in Sarajevo Worry Diplomats". The New York Times. 4 October 1993.
  5. ↑ Innes, Michael A. (2006). Bosnian Security After Dayton: New Perspectives. Routledge. p. 77. ISBN 978-1-13414-872-1.
  6. ↑ "Romeo and Juliet in Sarajevo". PBS.org. 14 April 2010. Archived from the original on 14 April 2010.
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