Indictment Filed against Nine ABiH and HVO Members for Brcko Crimes

The Prosecution of Bosnia and Herzegovina has filed an indictment against nine former members of the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, ABiH, and Croatian Defense Council, HVO, charging them with war crimes against prisoners of war in the Brcko area in 1993.

Admir Osmanovic, Smajil Omerovic, Jasmin Huskanovic, Kemal Hindic, Martin Francesevic, Ramiz Pljakic, Ivo Andjelovic, and Hazim and Bahrija Fazlovic, have been charged with torture, abuse and murder of 11 captured members of the Bosnian Serb Army, VRS, in the vicinity of Boderiste, Brcko.

As announced by the Prosecution of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Rizvanovic, Omerovic and Huskanovic, in their capacity as members of the Interventions Unit of the 3^rd Battalion with the 108^th Motorized Brigade of ABiH, captured 11 members of the First Posavska Brigade of VRS in an ambush near Boderiste, and then tortured and abused them, caused them severe bodily injuries and killed them, acting contrary to provisions of the international humanitarian law and Geneva Conventions relative to treatment of prisoners of war.

“Hindic, Francesevic, Pljakic, Fazlovic, Andjelovic and Fazlovic have been charged, in their capacity as commanders of the Operational Group I – Bosanska Posavina, 108^th Infantry Brigade of HVO and 108^th Motorized Brigade of ABiH, of having known of the crimes committed by their subordinates and failed to undertake the necessary and reasonable measures to identify, prosecute and punish the perpetrators for the war crime,” the indictment alleges.

The Prosecution will prove its allegations through the examination of around 70 witnesses and expert witnesses, as well as introduction of more than 300 pieces of material evidence.