BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA: Streetart Sarajevo - Mejtaš - Radićeva 12 - Vedran Puljić Stencils - HORDE ZLA

„Rest In Peace Vedran Puljic“

Vedran Puljić (1985–2009) was a soccer fan of FK Sarajevo and a member of the HORDE ZLA ultra group. On 4th October 2009, he traveled to his club’s away game against NK Široki Brijeg. Even before kickoff, serious riots broke out around Pecara Stadium between fan groups, local residents, and the police. During these violent clashes, 24-year-old Puljić was fatally wounded by a gunshot to the head. The autopsy later confirmed that he died from a gunshot wound.

The case became one of the most controversial chapters in Bosnian soccer history. Following the riots, Oliver Knezović, a resident of Široki Brijeg and a former soldier in the Croatian Armed Forces as well as a former member of a police special forces unit, was arrested as the prime suspect. He was accused of snatching a police officer’s service weapon and using it to fire at FK Sarajevo supporters.

Just a few hours after his arrest, however, Knezović managed to escape from custody in Široki Brijeg. It later emerged that several police officers had been arrested on suspicion of facilitating or aiding his escape. Knezović fled to Croatia, where he also held citizenship. Since Bosnia and Herzegovina was unable to secure his extradition from Croatia, he eventually turned himself in to the police in Zagreb, stating that he feared he would not receive a fair trial in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The legal proceedings dragged on for many years. While Knezović was initially charged with the murder of Vedran Puljić, the charges were later amended after new ballistics reports cast doubt on whether the fatal shot had been fired from his position. He was ultimately convicted of endangering public safety and attempted murder, but not of Puljić’s murder. To this day, the case is considered one of the most controversial and politically sensitive chapters in Bosnian soccer history.

For many FK Sarajevo fans, Vedran Puljić became a symbol against violence and for the demand for justice. Numerous stencils, graffiti, and murals in Sarajevo still commemorate him today and often bear the inscription “Istina za Vedrana”, which means “Truth for Vedran”, alongside with “Rest in Peace” writings.