The Sandžak Process is the story about the staged judicial/political processes in Serbia and Montenegro against Bosniak political leaders and activists of the PDA (Party of Democratic Action) in the region of Sandžak during the 90’s and the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
During the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina, many cases of crimes against Bosniaks in Sandžak, citizens of then-FRY, were recorded, including police torture of over 15,000. In 1993 and 1994, Serbia and Montenegro simultaneously ran a staged judicial/political process against the members of PDA (SDA) Sandžak. The accused (25 of them in Serbia and 21 in Montenegro) were forced to admit preparing „an armed rebellion in order to establish the state of Sandžak“.
They were sentenced to several years in prison. After the Dayton Peace Agreement, the convicts in Montenegro were pardoned.
The trial in Serbia lasted over 20 years until it was past the statute of limitations. The bizarre nature of the process is confirmed by the fact that one blind person was convicted for allegedly preparing sniper attacks.
The convicted are still struggling for justice but the public is deaf and blind about their case.
Year: 2020.
Runtime: 52”
Director: Aleksandar Reljić
Screenplay: Aleksandar Reljić
Narrator: Boris Isaković
Editing: Zlatko Zlatković
Camera: Zlatko Zlatković
Sound design: Zoran Dorić
Color correction: Ivana Pejak
Music: Mihajlo Obrenov
Producer: Aleksandar Reljić
Production: Coredox
Co-producer: Al Jazeera Balkans