Local Justice – Bihac: Indictment for Crimes against Civilians Confirmed
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The Una-Sana Cantonal Prosecution charges Sovilja and Vekic, former members of the Rep ublika Srpska Army, VRS, with having killed civilian Mehmed Hrkic in Bosanski Petrovac municipality on December 21, 1992.
“The indictees, who had automatic guns, met Mehmed Hrkic and Milo Vukelic in Osoje forest, Bosanski Petrovac municipality on December 21, 1992. They ordered Vukelic to go and kept Hrkic in order to speak to him. Hrkic then started running, calling for help. The indictees fired at least three bullets in his direction, causing him deadly injuries,” Cantonal Prosecutor Jasmin Mesic said.
Prosecutor Mesic said that indictees Sovilja and Vekic lived in Serbia, adding that they were examined through the international legal aid service.
Given that the indictees live outside of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Prosecutor Mesic said that the Cantonal Prosecution in Bihac would file a custody motion and request a warrant to be issued unless they appeared at the plea hearing.
“Over the course of the past period we have had good co-operation with Serbian judicial institutions. We regard that, through such co-operation between the Bihac Cantonal Court and Belgrade District Court, we have achieved the purpose of satisfaction of justice, which means that war crimes suspect cannot avoid justice and be unavailable to investigation bodies in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Justice will reach perpetrators, no matter where they are,” Mesic said.
The plea hearing in the case of Sovilja and Vekic will be scheduled at a later stage.
