483 Years for War Crimes

During this year, the State Court rendered 25 sentences, out of which 14 are the first-instance sentences, and nine are the second-instant ones. Three indictees were acquitted of charges by the second-instance sentences for the crimes committed in Prozor, Rogatica and Srebrenica.

The Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina has also accepted two plea agreements by which three persons have been convicted.

The first first-instance sentence has also been brought for jailbreak from serving the prison sentence for war crimes. By this judgment, Radovan Stankovic was sentenced to two years in prison.

In June, the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina has brought the first first-instance sentence for false testimony at trial for war crimes. By that sentence, the indictee Bosko Lazic is acquitted of charges.

The first verdicts for females who were indicted of committing war crimes in Trusina (Konjic municipality) and Odzak were also brought this year.

Branko Vlaco, who is indicted of crimes committed in Vogosca in 1992, is extradited from Montenegro to the judicial authorities of Bosnia and Herzegovina, while Dejan Radojkovic, who is indicted of crimes committed in Srebrenica in 1995, is extradited from the United States of America.

Israel’s Supreme Court rejected an appeal by Aleksandar Cvetkovic on decision which approved his extradition to Bosnia and Herzegovina. Cvetkovic is suspected that as a member of the Tenth Sabotage Detachment of the Army of the Republika Srpska (VRS), he participated in the genocide in Srebrenica.

In March this year, the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina issued “Instructions on Anonymization of Court Decisions, Audio/Video Recordings of the Trials and Other Educational Content”, and also the changes and amendments to the Rulebook on Gaining Access to Court Information and Cooperation with the Community.

According to the Instructions, the names and surnames in the court decisions are written by the initials, as well as the names of institutions, companies, and agencies. Audio and video recordings of the trial are available in duration of ten minutes, since the Court began to apply the Regulations on Access to Information.

The Greatest Penalties for Crimes Committed in Srebrenica

Nine first-instance verdicts were issued before the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina by which eight persons were sentenced to a total of 86 years in prison, while three indictees were acquitted of charges.

Maximum penalty is issued to Radomir Vukovic for assisting in the perpetration of genocide in Srebrenica in July 1995. Vukovic, a former member of the Second Squad of the Special Police of Republika Srpska (RS) from Sekovici, is sentenced to 31 years in prison.

Vukovic was found guilty of involvement in the killing of more than 1,000 male prisoners in Kravica (Bratunac municipality). He is trialed along with Zoran Tomic, whom the Appellate Chamber acquitted of guilt, after he was initially sentenced to 31 years in prison.

The lowest second-instance is issued to Alija Osmic, who, after the retrial, was sentenced to three years in prison for crime in Bugojno.

Osmic, as a member of the 307th Military Police Brigade of the Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina (ABiH), is found guilty of physically and mentally abusing imprisoned members of the Croatian Defence Council (HVO). By the first-instance verdict, he was a sentenced to 11 years in prison.

The Appellate Chamber of the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina confirmed five first-instance verdicts, and ended three renewed judicial proceedings.

After retrial, Djordjislav Askraba was sentenced to seven years in prison for crimes committed in Kalinovik. By the first-instance verdict from 2009, Askraba, a former member of the VRS, was acquitted of charges.

The Appellate Chamber reduced fines for Ljubisa Vranjes and Mladen Milic for a total of four years, sentencing them to eight years in prison each for crimes against civilians in Kotor Varos in June 1992.

Vranjes, a former member of the Public Safety Center (PSC) Banja Luka and Milic, member of VRS, were originally sentenced to ten years in prison each.

At the end of this year, the Appellate Chamber revoked the first instance verdict of Zeljko Ivanovic by which he was sentenced to 13 years in prison for crimes against humanity committed in Srebrenica in 1995, and ordered a new trial. Retrial has not yet begun.

During this year, the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina handed down 14 first-instance verdicts by which 19 persons were sentenced to a total of 380 years in prison. 12 persons were acquitted of changes by the first-instance verdicts.

The Court pronounced the highest sentence to Stanko Kojic, former member of the Tenth Sabotage Detachment of the VRS, sentencing him to 43 years in prison for shooting a group of about 800 men at the Branjevo Military Economy (Zvornik municipality) on July 16, 1995.

Together with Kojic, for crimes against humanity, Franc Kos and Zoran Goronja were sentenced to 40 years, while Vlastimir Golijan is sentenced to 19 years in prison.

“The indictees executed the liquidations in cold blood, and during the execution they made a break to eat and drink beer on a meadow full of corpses, while the other men were waiting to be shot”, it has been said during the pronunciation of the sentence.

The lowest penalty is pronounced to Albina Terzic, former member of the Croatian Defence Council (HVO), for inhumane treatment of prisoners in the elementary school and the factory “Strolit” in Odzak. Terzic was sentenced to five years in prison.

First Female Convicted of Crimes

After signing a plea agreement, the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina sentenced three persons to total of 17 and half years in prison.

The Court accepted the agreement by which the brothers Saban and Elvir Djelilbasic admitted the guilt for crime committed in the municipality of Travnik in 1992. They are convicted to six years in prison each.

“I carry this burden for 20 years and I sincerely regret. It is difficult for me because of what have happened”, said Elvir Djelilbasic addressing the Trial Chamber.

Rasema Handanovic, called Zolja, is sentenced to five and a half years for crime committed in Trusina in 1993. She is the first female who is sentenced for war crimes before the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

“Once again, I want to express my deep regret for what I did. I’m sorry that I was present during the execution and I declare great condolences to all those that I did the harm. I have committed a crime and I want to finish and serve out my sentence as soon as possible”, said Handanovic.

Radovan Stankovic was arrested in January this year, four and a half years after he escaped from serving the prison sentence for crimes committed in Foca.

This year, the first trial for giving false testimony at the trial for war crimes has begun, for which Bosko Lazic is indicted. By the first-instance verdict Lazic was acquitted of guilt, after which the Appellate Panel reversed that judgment. Retrial will begin next year.

During this year, the indictees Miralem Macic and Besim Muderizovic, who were on trial before the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina, have deceased. Macic was indicted of crimes committed in Konjic, while Muderizovic was at trial for crimes committed in the former barracks “Viktor Bubanj” in Sarajevo.

During this year, the Prosecution of Bosnia and Herzegovina filed 23 indictments against 33 persons who are indicted of war crimes.

This year, Goran Salihovic was elected as the Chief Prosecutor of the State Prosecution. He will take charge of this function from the beginning of February.