Three years since Bosnia adopted a war-crimes strategy, hopes grow that the prosecution of war crimes perpetrators may finally speed up, although no increase in indictments has yet occurred.
Foreign diplomats and the president of Bosnias highest judicial authority expressed their concern over the recent SDP-SNSD agreement which includes election of prosecutors.
Brussels wants Bosnia to get a move on in establishing a state appeals court but opinions in the country are divided on whether such a court is strictly necessary or financially justifiable.
Larger funds to support processing of war crimes by prosecutions and courts are needed this conclusion was reached at a meeting of representatives of judicial institutions in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Although the deadlines laid out in the Strategy for the Processing of War Crimes Cases are fast approaching and international observers have expressed concern, the Supervisory Board for the implementation of the strategy is optimistic that the goals will be met.
At a press conference organised after the meeting of the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council of Bosnia and Herzegovina (VSTV) with Valentin Inzko, the High Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina, it was pledged that work on the creation of conditions to allow war crime cases to be processed at the entity level will continue.
Over two years after national war crimes strategy obliged the State Court to classify all remaining cases as sensitive, or not, the task remains incomplete.
A section for support and protection of witnesses and victims during the entire course of investigations, as well as after court proceedings have ended, has been opened within the District Court and Prosecution in Banja Luka.
The President of the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina writes a critical overview for Justice Report of progress so far in implementing the Strategy for Processing War Crimes in Bosnia and Herzegovina, expressing concern that the Strategy has become a merely declarative document.
In a public statement regarding a recent case of assault against visitors to the State Court, Court President Meddzida Kreso apologises to the assault victims.