a few seconds agoBosnian Court Frees 60 Serbs From War Crimes Charges
Periskopi(9 years ago)
(9 years ago)Following criticism by Bosnian Serbs for bias following the release of Bosnian commander Naser Oric's charges, the state court said it has acquitted 60 former soldiers, policemen, officials and Serb camp guards. The State Court said today that since its establishment, it has acquitted of genocide or war crimes [...]
Following criticism by Bosnian Serbs for bias following the release of Bosnian commander Naser Oric's charges, the state court said it has acquitted 60 former soldiers, policemen, officials and Serb camp guards.
The state court said today that since its establishment, it has cleared of charges of genocide or 60 Bosnian Serbs' war crimes an attempt to reject charges of bias by Serbs for acquittal by Naser Oriq earlier this month.
Of the 60, more than 50 are former members of Bosnian Serb Army forces or Interior Ministry forces in Republika Srpska, while the others are former civil officials, paramilitary leaders or guards of detention camps.
The state court also said it handed down a set of verdicts for acquittal on charges in cases related to genocide and war crimes at Srebrenica.
She said the defendants acquitted of charges were Milos Stupar, Aleksandar Cvetkoviq, Momir Pelemis, Zdravko Bozic, Zelko Zaric, Zoran Zivanovic, Dragan Neskovic, Zoran Ilq, Miladin Stevanovic, Zoran Tomovic, Nedjo Ikonovic, Milovan Matiq, Dragisa Zivovic and Velibor Maksimovic.
The court has also acquitted senior civil officials and police officers Goran Saric, Momcilo Ma persecuted and Gojko Klicovic.
The first-instance decision to clear the charges of Naser Oric, who was charged with war crimes in Srebrenica and Bratunac in 1992, prompted sharp reactions by political leaders in Republika Srpska and Serbia.
Republika Srpska President Milorad Dodik accused the tribunal as biased because the judge in the Oric trial was a Bosnian Muslim.
“It is enough for a Muslim to judge a Muslim and free from charges,” said Dodik.
He also threatened to revive the idea of a referendum that would question the legality of the tribunal and the state-level prosecution.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vuicic said the verdict was a test that Serb lives were not considered “s were worth as much as the lives of others”.
But the head of the state court, Ranko Dervenc, denied any institutional bias.
Bosnia and Herzegovina's “Court works professionally in accordance with evidence provided by the prosecution, rather than political grounds and speculation and media pressures,” the Debvec for the son.
The State Court was founded in 2003 and handed down its first war crimes ruling in 2007.
