EU, US, and OSCE Welcome Adoption of Revised War Crimes Processing Strategy

SARAJEVO, (Patria) - The European Union Delegation to Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) and the EU Special Representative in BiH, the United States Embassy in BiH, and the OSCE Mission to BiH welcome yesterday's long-awaited decision by the BiH Council of Ministers to adopt the Revised Strategy for the Processing of War Crimes Cases in BiH, it was stated in a joint statement.

"The adoption of the Revised Strategy is an important step towards achieving justice for all victims of war crimes and reducing impunity, as well as a key condition highlighted in the European Commission's Opinion on BiH's EU membership application.

 By finding common ground for the greater good, Bosnian-Herzegovinian politicians have shown that they can take significant steps forward to meet citizens' expectations for a more just society, strongly on the path to EU membership.

Twenty-five years after the end of the conflict in BiH, hundreds of war crimes cases are still awaiting processing. The adoption of the Revised Strategy will help speed up the processing of war crimes cases through more precise criteria for allocating cases to the appropriate level. We will continue to support all prosecutor's offices in BiH in their efforts to ensure their effective processing.

In line with the Revised Strategy, the BiH Prosecutor's Office should exclusively focus on the most complex cases involving allegations of genocide and crimes against humanity, and those involving command responsibility for such crimes. All less complex cases should be referred for resolution to entity prosecutor's offices and the Brčko District BiH Prosecutor's Office, in order to process them as soon as possible. We call on the BiH Prosecutor's Office to do so without delay, and in accordance with the findings of the recently published report by Judge Joanne Korner.

In addition, the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council of BiH must, without delay, introduce an effective mechanism for determining disciplinary responsibility of judges and prosecutors who do not implement the prescribed strategic goals and measures. We will closely monitor these processes in the coming months.

It is also crucial that all authorities in BiH ensure that the judiciary processes war crimes cases independently, impartially, professionally, and transparently.

This process must be free from politicization, with full respect for final and binding court decisions and consideration of facts already established before domestic and international courts, which particularly applies to the judgments of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY).

We will carefully monitor the implementation of the Revised Strategy for the Processing of War Crimes Cases and continue to provide support to judicial institutions in their efforts to achieve justice for victims, reads the joint statement of the European Union Delegation to Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) and the EU Special Representative in BiH, the United States Embassy in BiH, and the OSCE Mission to BiH.