Anic: Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison
This post is also available in: Bosnian
Anic was pronounced guilty of having participated in murder, torture, destruction of property and robbing of Bosniak civilians in Grahovce, Han Ploce and Stupni Do villages, as well as the Luke resort area, where nearly 70 people were killed in 1993.
The verdict against Anic, former member of the “Maturice” Special Purposes Squad of the Croatian Defence Council, HVO, was pronounced after the Court accepted a guilt admission agreement concluded between the indictee and the Prosecution of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which proposed that Anic be sentenced to 15 years in prison.
“In terms of the criminal sanction, the Court took note of the fact that the indictee surrendered, although he was hiding in Croatia for a certain period of time, and contributed to finding the truth. Also, he gave statements in other cases,” judge Davorin Jukic explained.
Jukic mentioned that the Court also considered the fact that Ivica Rajic was sentenced at the Hague to 12 years and Dominik Ilijasevic, known as Como, in Bosnia and Herzegovina to 14 years for these crimes.
Rajic was Commander of the HVO’s Second Operational Group in Kiseljak. He commanded the attack on Stupni Do village, Vares municipality in October 1993.
“Anic and other members of ‘Maturice’ and ‘Apostoli’ units were lined up with the aim of conquering and destroying Stupni Do village. Rajic then ordered them to destroy everything. One group of ‘Maturice’ members was led by Dominik Ilijasevic,” the verdict against Anic says.
As stated in the verdict, during the attack 38 civilians were killed, their bodies taken into houses and set on fire, and their possessions stolen; all the other houses in the village and the local mosque were also burnt.
The verdict further says that Anic participated in attacks on and murders committed in Grahovce and Han Ploce villages and Luke resort area, Kiseljak municipality in June 1993, when about 30 civilians were killed.
The time Anic has spent in custody, starting on November 1, 2010, will be calculated towards his sentence.
The parties have the right to appeal the verdict, but not the part pertaining to the sentence. The injured parties have been advised to file civil suits.
