Two Bosnian Serb Ex-Policemen Convicted of War Crimes
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Babic and Mrdja, both former members of intervention squads at the police Public Security Station in Prijedor, were each sentenced to 15 years in prison.
A third ex-policeman, Radenko Marinovic, was acquitted.
Mrdja was found guilty of killing two civilians in the village of Sredice on July 20, 1992. He was also charged with taking another man from his home who was then killed two kilometres away.
The court found that Mrdja physically abused four prisoners on August 6, 1992 during their transport from the Omarska detention camp to the Manjaca camp, hitting them with a wooden stick and with his fists.
According to the verdict, upon arrival at Manjaca, Mrdja took a man from the bus and, with other members of intervention squad, beat him up. As a result of the beating, the man died.
Babic was convicted of killing two men with a knife.
“The chamber found no mitigating circumstances and as aggravating circumstances noted the defendants’ earlier convictions,” said presiding judge Mira Smajlovic.
Babic has already been convicted of war crimes twice by the Bosnian court, while Mrdja has been convicted of war crimes by the Hague Tribunal.
Neither man was present in court for the verdict.
The verdict can be appealed.
