Brammertz: More Work on Stankovic’s Arrest Needed
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Brammertz considers that, besides Bosnia and Herzegovina institutions, neighbouring countries should be more active in trying to arrest convict Stankovic.
It is hard to accept the fact that he is at liberty so many years after his flight, Brammertz said, adding that Bosnian authorities should be responsible and work more.
In March 2007 the Appellate Chamber of the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina sentenced Radovan Stankovic to 20 years in prison for crimes in the Foca area. In May 2007 Stankovic fled from the Penal and Correctional Facility in Foca. He has been on the run since.
During his conversation with journalists from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brammertz touched upon the State Strategy for War Crimes Processing, saying that its implementation was clearly too slow.
There is no political obstruction of Strategy implementation. I consider this a complicated and complex issue. Legal and practical problems related to its implementation have to be solved, Brammertz said.
The Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, ICTY mentioned the reduction of the indictment against Ratko Mladic, former Chief of the Main Headquarters with the Republika Srpska Army, VRS. Brammertz said that, although the indictment had been reduced, the three components – genocide, ethnic cleansing and crimes committed in municipalities – were retained.
I want Mladic’s trial to begin and end as soon as possible, Brammertz said, adding that, nevertheless, the beginning of the trial depended on a Tribunal’s decision.
Brammertz was one of the speakers during the study tour, which BIRN Bosnia and Herzegovina organised for 14 journalists from the print media. This is the second study tour organised by BIRN BiH.
BIRN BiH organized the visit to The Hague with the support from the Swedish Government through the Civil Right Defenders organisation, and the Swiss Government, which provided financial resources. E.M.
