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Explaining the decision on termination of custody, the Appellate Chamber of the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina said that Zoran Babic, Milorad Skrbic, Dusan Jankovic and Zeljko Stojnic were previously ordered into custody only because they were sentenced to more than five years in prison under the
first instance verdict.
“As the verdict, which was pronounced by the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina on December 21, 2010, has been revoked, it no longer exists in formal and legal sense. Hence, the decision on criminal sanction no longer exists either. Therefore, the only reason for the custody measure has ceased to
exist,” the decision reads.
The Appellate Chamber decided to order prohibiting measures, instead of custody for the indictees.
Babic and Skrbic were sentenced to 22 years in prison each, Jankovic to 27 and Stojnic to 15 years for participating in the murder of more than 200 Bosniak civilians at Koricanske stijene locality on Mount Vlasic on August 21, 1992.
Babic, Skrbic and Stojnic were members of the Interventions Squad with Prijedor police, while Jankovic, as stated under the verdict, was Commander of the Police Station in Prijedor.
The Appellate Chamber revoked the first instance verdict. The decision is “still in the process of preparation”, so the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina has not announced the reasons for such decision.
The four indictees were allowed to defend themselves while at liberty during the course of the trial, but they were ordered into custody following the pronouncement of the first instance verdict in December 2010.
M.T.
