Stankovic’s Request for Referral back to the Hague Rejected

In 2007 the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina, BiH, sentenced Stankovic to 20 years in prison for crimes in Foca after his case had been referred by the Hague Tribunal to the Bosnian judiciary for further processing.

In January last year Stankovic filed the motion, requesting the Hague Tribunal to return his case to the Hague Tribunal, in order for “a retrial to be held and truth determined”, but the case referral Chamber rejected his motion.

After he had appealed the decision, Hague Tribunal President Theodor Meron rejected his motion, pointing out that a decision on case referral could only be withdrawn prior to the pronouncement of a second instance verdict, adding that this was not the case in Stankovic’s case.

Stankovic, a former member of the Miljevina Battalion of the Republika Srpska Army, was pronounced guilty of having participated in rapes in Foca municipality from August to October 1992.

Following the pronouncement of his verdict, in May 2007 he fled from the Foca prison, but he was arrested again in January 2012. He is now serving his sentence in the Foca prison.