Bosnian couple illegally imprisoned 19-year-old German girl for over six years

A Bosnian couple have been charged with keeping a German girl prisoner for over six years, and forcing her to act as their slave.
Milenko Marinkovic, 52, and his wife Slavojka, 45, were detained after a neighbour spotted 19-year-old Bettina Siegner being whipped as she was forced to pull a cart they were sitting in.
Prosecutors in the town of Tuzla, north-east Bosnia indicted the pair for 'illegally detaining' Miss Siegner 'in an inhuman way'.

Enslaved: German teenager Betina Siger was kept for eight years by a Bosnian couple and only freed when a neighbour saw her being whipped

Spokesman Admir Arnautovic said: 'They were charged for detaining this girl ... inflicting her injuries, treating her in an inhuman way, exposing her to starvation and forcing her to do hard agriculture labour.
'They did not allow her to have any contact with other people and go to school.'
The teenager was rescued by police after a neighbour of the couple, Sead Makalic, photographed her on his mobile phone and reported the matter to the authorities.
Milenko and Slavojka Marinkovic were arrested on May 17 and the teenager was placed in a safe house.
Prosecutors say Miss Siegner had been held captive in the village of Karavlasi since late 2005.

 

The victim's mother, Christine Siegner, left her daughter with her torturers when she was aged just 12, after meeting them in Germany.
According to Marinkovic family members, Christine Siegner is Milenko's second wife - an acceptable situation within his Roma community.
They are said to have married as it would help Marinkovic get a German residence permit.
Ms Siegner reportedly arrived in Bosnia with Bettina and four other daughters, who all married brothers of Marinkovic.

Hero? Sead Makalic, 53, poses with his mobile phone and a picture of Bettina Siegner, who was rescued after he photographed her

While her daughters now reside in Germany or Austria, Christine Siegner still lives near to where Bettina was kept as a slave.
She is being treated as a witness in the case, and local authorities have seized her documents to ensure she cannot leave Bosnia.
'We are doing some verifications and it is possible that Bettina's mother will be also indicted,' a spokesman said.
The Marinkovic family and Ms Siegner deny all allegations against them.
If found guilty, Milenko and Slavojka Marinkovic face between two and eight years in jail.

'The girl was not allowed to communicate with people, was not allowed to go to school, was starved, beaten and forced to hard labour'

Admir Arnautovic, spokesman for the prosecutor's office

Mr Arnautovic said that when the teenager was found in a forest near the house where she was held, there were signs of torture all over her body and she weighed just 6st 4oz.
Speaking of her current condition, he said: 'She is much better. She underwent psychological expertise that established that she suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder.
'However, both her mental and physical recovery is on the right track.'
Investigators quoted by the Bosnian media said Miss Siegner now wishes to return to her father Alfred Siegner, a pensioner who lives in Germany.
Prosecutors say she will be required to remain in Bosnia until her case is over, as she is the key witness.
Mr Makalic, the neighbour who revealed the abuse, has been hailed as a national hero. However, he admits he had known of the problem since the young woman arrived in the country.
'I did not pay much attention to the girl, but then I saw her several years ago when she was eating pig food from a dog bowl,' he told ABC.
He added that an earlier attempt to report her mistreatment had been foiled when the couple managed to hide her from visiting authorities


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