Indictment for Novaković: Participated in the murder of 27 Bosniaks, bodies of victims still being searched for

(Patria) - Prosecutor of the Special Department for War Crimes has filed an indictment against Novaković Željko, born in 1973 in Bosanski Novi, residing in Belgrade, a citizen of BiH and Serbia.

The accused is charged that, during a wide and systematic attack by the VRS, police, territorial defense, armed groups and paramilitary formations on the civilian population of Bosniak nationality in the area of Bosanski Novi municipality, he acted contrary to the provisions of the Geneva Conventions on the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War.

The accused is charged that, together with other persons, he personally and directly participated in the murder, torture, and persecution of the Bosniak civilian population from the villages of Ekići and Alići.

During the attack on the said villages and the persecution of the population from their homes and dwellings, the accused personally and directly, together with other persons, participated in the murder of 27 civilians, Bosniak men, who were previously separated from their families, and beaten, tortured, and abused in the presence of their children and wives.

According to the collected evidence, the victims were forcibly taken to the execution site, and were forced to dig their own grave into which they would be thrown, and were subsequently killed by firearms and buried in the grave.

The bodies of a smaller number of victims were found, exhumed, and identified after the war, while the remains of a larger number of victims are still being searched for.

The accused is charged with the criminal offense of crimes against humanity under Article 172 of the Criminal Code of BiH.

The indictment has been forwarded to the Court of BiH for confirmation.