Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison: Hearing Postponed for Novak Đukić, Killer of Tuzla's Youth

The Higher Court in Belgrade postponed today the hearing at which the taking over of the sentence imposed by the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina on Novak Đukić for the crime in Tuzla was to be considered, Birn reports, as carried by the Patria news agency.

The court panel in Belgrade postponed the hearing, given that transcripts from the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which Đukić's defense had requested, have not arrived. 

-These transcripts are important for me to prepare my defense, Đukić said. 

His lawyer, Milorad Konstantinović, said the transcripts are crucial to determine whether Đukić had a fair trial in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Đukić was found guilty of ordering, as commander of the Ozren Tactical Group of the Army of Republika Srpska (VRS), an artillery platoon to shell the city of Tuzla with howitzers on May 25, 1995. A shell fired at Tuzla's Kapija killed 71 people.

He was released from prison in February 2014, after the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina – due to incorrect application of the law – overturned the verdict sentencing him to 25 years in prison. The Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina reduced Đukić's sentence to 20 years in June 2014, and his defense counsel informed the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina a few days later that the convict was undergoing treatment in Serbia.

In October 2014, a warrant was issued for his arrest because he did not respond to the summons to serve his sentence. The Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina requested that the authorities of the Republic of Serbia recognize the verdict and that Đukić serve his sentence in Serbia.