Jusuf Prazina

Jusuf Prazina
Jusuf Prazina in besieged Sarajevo, 1992.
Nickname(s)	Juka
Born	(1962-09-07)7 September 1962 Sarajevo, SR Bosnia and Herzegovina, SFR Yugoslavia
Died	3-4 December 1993 (aged 31)
Allegiance	Bosnia and Herzegovina  Herzeg-Bosnia
Service/branch	Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina Croatian Defence Council
Years of service	1992–1993
Commands held	Commander of Special Brigade ARBiH Head of Special Forces ARBiH Head of Special Forces HVO Member of General Staff ARBiH
Battles/wars	Bosnian War Siege of Sarajevo

Jusuf "Juka" Prazina (Bosnian pronunciation: [jusuf prazina]; 7 September 1962 – 3-4 December 1993) was a Bosnian gangster and paramilitary warlord during the Bosnian War.

A troubled teen, Prazina's youth allegedly contained numerous stays in various jails and correctional facilities of the former Yugoslavia. By the 1980s he had become involved in organized crime, eventually heading his own racketeering gang based around his home in the city's Centar municipality.

With the onset of the Siege of Sarajevo in 1992 Prazina expanded his gang into an effective paramilitary fighting force. This force was central in the effort against the besieging Army of Republika Srpska (VRS), and he was rewarded for his contribution to the city's defense by appointment to the head of the government's special forces. Prazina proved problematic for Bosnian authorities.

Following a warrant for his arrest in October, Prazina stationed himself on Mt. Igman and coordinated attacks against ARBiH forces until his eventual defeat and expulsion in January of the following year. He moved to Herzegovina where he joined forces with the Croatian Defence Council and committed numerous crimes against civilians in the region. He left Bosnia and Herzegovina a few months later for Croatia, and lived on the Dalmatian coast before traveling through a number of European countries and finally relocating to Belgium.