Enver Buza sentenced to 12 years in prison

SARAJEVO, (Patria) - The Court of BiH sentenced Enver Buza, former acting commander of the Prozor Independent Battalion of the Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina (ABiH), to 12 years in prison for crimes committed in September 1993 in Uzdol near Prozor.

By the verdict, Buza was found guilty of acting contrary to the rules of international humanitarian law on the protection of civilians during the war in BiH.

The Council determined that Buza, as the acting commander of the Prozor Independent Battalion of the ABiH, had actual and effective control over the unit that carried out an attack on the village of Uzdol in the early morning hours of September 14, 1993, where 27 civilians of Croatian nationality were brutally and cruelly killed, the youngest victim being ten years old.

"It was determined that the attack was carried out by units of the Independent Battalion under Buza's control, as well as some police officers, who were also under the accused's control... The Council's only conclusion is that the victims were civilians who did not participate in combat activities," said presiding judge Željka Marenić.

As Judge Marenić stated, the presented evidence established that there was no shooting from houses, that most people were killed in their homes, that they were shot at close range, that three children were killed, and that no victim was hit by shrapnel.

Speaking about the accused's role, Judge Marenić said that no one disputed that Buza was the commander of the Prozor Independent Battalion at the time in question.

"The Council could not accept any of the Defense's claims as true because they are not supported by other evidence or expert findings that would substantiate these claims... The Council determined that Buza had information that allowed him to know that crimes against civilians were being committed. The fact that civilian killings could not have gone unnoticed is evident from a series of documents," Marenić said.

The evidence indicates, as stated in the verdict, that Buza was sufficiently informed about the crime, which obliged him to conduct a thorough investigation. According to the judge, the evidence indicates that this was not done and that the goal was to cover up the crime.

"The evidence suggests that the accused neither ordered his deputy in writing nor orally to conduct an investigation, nor were statements taken from participants. The Council could conclude obstruction by Buza because he ignored the investigation," the verdict states.

By the verdict, Buza was exempted from paying the costs of the proceedings, and the victims' families were referred to civil litigation.

There is a possibility of appeal against this verdict.