Former Radovan Karadzic advisor sentenced for war crimes

The Sarajevo court on Thursday convicted Jovan Tintorin of crimes against Bosniak and Croatian prisoners, condemning the Serb head of the Crisis Committee during the war in Vogosca municipality to 11 years in prison.

Tintor was adviser to Bosnian Serb President Radovan Karadzic and the leader of Karadzic's Serb Democratic Party in Vogosca.

He was convicted of eight counts of involvement in a broad and systematic attack on the non-Serb population in Vogosca in April-July 1992.

The court condemned him as responsible for illegal detentions, torture, beating, and forced labor of prisoners. The court said the crimes were committed against a large number of Bosniak and Croat prisoners in several detention camps in Vogosca.

“Trup has decided that the defendant committed a crime against humanity through persecution. It was further determined, through an analysis of material evidence, that the defendant committed the crime by taking part in a joint criminal enterprise”, said court chairman Minka Kreho.

Kreho said the prosecution confirmed that Tintor was aware of Bosniaks' detention plans in Vogosca and had described the territory as “Serbian soil”.

The judge added that it was also proven that Tintor set up the Bunker prison camp and had the authority to decide who would be imprisoned there.

“Trup discovered that Tintor had knowledge of the abuse of prisoners and could have banned”, Kreho said.

He was also responsible for stopping the prisoners at the Garina facilities of Namina and Planjina Kuka, as well as for the inhumane conditions there, the judge added.

Tintor was also convicted of killing a pregnant Bosnian woman.

He was acquitted of killing 13 prisoners taken from Bunker camp and disappeared. Kreho said that it had not been proven who ordered the men to leave.

First - degree judgment may be appealed.