Esad Landžo was born on 7 March 1973 in Glavatičevo, Yugoslavia, which is now part of Bosnia and Herzegovina. He is of Bosniak ethnicity. When the Bosnian War began in the early 1990s, he joined the Bosnian Army.

In May 1992, he was assigned to be a guard at the Čelebići camp. This camp was set up to detain prisoners during the conflict. Landžo served in this position until December 1992. After his time at the camp, he became a member of the military police.

Esad Landžo served as a camp guard at the Čelebići camp during the Bosnian War from May to December 1992. He was part of a group that detained many Serb prisoners at this camp. These individuals faced severe abuse, torture, and murder. The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) later indicted Landžo along with his superiors for crimes they committed while he was a guard.

On 21 March 1996, the ICTY charged Landžo with multiple counts related to his actions at the camp. He was specifically accused of murder, torture, and causing suffering to prisoners. The charges included the killings of five people and instances of torture against others.

Landžo was arrested in May 1996 and transferred to the ICTY in June. During the trial, several witnesses testified against him. Some described horrific treatments, including beatings and severe torture methods. One witness, who was a teenager at the time, recounted how Landžo beat him regularly and inflicted severe burns. Another witness also noted the regularity of the beatings and identified Landžo and his superior as the worst offenders.

In November 1998, Landžo was found guilty on multiple counts. The tribunal considered factors such as his age and mental state when issuing his sentence. He received a prison sentence of 15 years for his actions. Over the years, appeals were made, and specific charges were quashed, but his sentence remained largely intact.

Landžo's time in prison continued until he was transferred to serve his sentence in Finland in July 2003. After serving nearly eight years, he was granted early release on 13 April 2006. Following his release, Landžo took part in documentaries where he discussed his past and offered apologies to some of the victims he had abused.