More than 600 Years in Prison for War Crimes
During 2013, the State Court handed down 34 verdicts, of which 12 are first instance, and 22 are second instance verdicts.
By second instance verdicts, the Appellate Council acquitted 15 indictees of crimes committed in Srebrenica, Kalinovnik, Zvornik, Ilijas, Bosanska Krupa and Koricanske stijene.
This year, Aleksandar Cvetkovic, who is indicted of involvement in genocide in Srebrenica in 1995, was extradited to Bosnia and Herzegovina judiciary from Israel, while Sulejman Mujagic, who indicted of crimes in Velika Kladusa, was extradited from the United States.
The European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg has accepted the appeals of Abduladhim Maktouf and Goran Damjanovic, finding that in their case, the Criminal Code of the former Yugoslavia (KZ SFRY) should have been applied, and not the Criminal Code of Bosnia and Herzegovina (KZ B&H) from 2003.
By implementing this decision, the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina reduced the sentence to Zoran and Goran Damjanovic for four and a half years in prison respectively.
After the decision of the European Court, the execution of prison sentences for another 11 persons who are convicted of war crimes and genocide is stopped. After new trial, the verdict for Mirko (Spiro) Pekez and Milorad Savic for crime committed in Jajce was reduced to a total of ten years.
During this year, the State Prosecution has filed 23 indictments for war crimes.
Maximum Penalties for Terrible Crimes
The Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina issued 22 second instance verdicts by which 28 persons were sentenced to a total of 506 years in prison, while 15 indictees were acquitted.
The biggest penalty is imposed to Franc Kos, a former member of the Tenth Sabotage Detachment of the Main Staff of the Republika Srpska Army (VRS). Kos was sentenced to 35 years in prison for liquidating a group of about 800 men Branjevo (Municipality of Zvornik) on July in 1995.
For the same crime, together with Kos, Stanko Kojic is sentenced to 32, Vlastimir Golijan to 15 and Zoran Goronja to 30 years of imprisonment.
The lowest second instance verdict is handed down to Albina Terzic, after her sentence is reduced from five to three years in prison. Terzic, a former member of the Croatian Defence Council (HVO), was convicted of inhumane treatment of Serb prisoners in Odzak.
The Appellate Chambers confirmed nine first instance verdicts, ended eight renewed trials and reversed five first instance verdicts.
Sentence for Eso Macic was reduced to two years, thus he is sentenced to 13 years for crimes committed in Konjic, while sentence for Ratko Dronjak is increased and he is sentenced to 18 years in prison for crimes in Drvar.
After retrial, Zeljko Ivanovic was sentenced to 24 years for aiding in the committing genocide in Srebrenica in July 1995, while Nisvet Gasal, Musajb Kukavica and Senad Dautovic were sentenced to a total of 15 years in prison for crimes committed in Bugojno.
After retrial, Marko Adamovic is sentenced to 22 and Bosko Lukic to 14 years in prison for crimes committed in Kljuc. By the first instance verdict, both of them were acquitted. Adamovic and Lukic did not attend their sentencing hearing. Lukic has been on the run ever since, while Adamovic was arrested and detained.
During this year, the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina handed down 12 first instance verdicts by which it sentenced ten persons to a total of 134 years in prison respectively. By the first instance verdicts, four persons were acquitted.
Veselin Vlahovic, known as Batko, is sentenced to a maximum sentence of 45 years in prison for crimes committed in Sarajevos neighbourhoods Grbavica, Vraca and Kovacici. Also, this is the biggest punishment which is imposed before the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Vlahovic was found guilty because from May to July in 1992, he killed about 35 persons, raped eleven women, abused, taking into captivity, tortured, and steal the non-Serb population.
The indictee was characterized by the specific model
