Bosnian State Prosecution Requests Oric’s Extradition from Switzerland

“Extraditing him to the Serbian judiciary would endanger the case against Naser Oric and others conducted by the Bosnian judiciary,” the state prosecution told BIRN.According to a statement issued by the state prosecution, the case against Oric, who commanded Bosnian Army forces in Srebrenica, was initiated in 2006. In 2008, Oric was examined as per a request made by the district prosecution of Bijeljina. In 2009 the state prosecution took over the investigation. In 2008, the Hague Tribunal pronounced a second instance verdict against Oric, acquitting him of charges that he committed war crimes in the Srebrenica area.“Considering the fact that this person is a citizen of Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as the fact that he is available to judicial bodies and responds to their invitations, no request for custody measures or other prohibitive measures has been filed in this case,” the state prosecution announced.The Serbian Ministry of Justice has requested that Oric be extradited to Serbia. Serbia issued an arrest warrant against Oric last year, based on suspicions that he committed war crimes against Serb civilians in the village of Zalazje near Srebrenica.Oric was arrested at the border between France and Switzerland on June 10, 2015, after having an attended a ceremony commemorating the 20th anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide. On June 11, Swiss authorities ordered Oric into extradition custody.