Indictment filed against three individuals for war crimes in Prijedor

SARAJEVO, (Patria) - The Prosecutor of the Special Department for War Crimes of the BiH Prosecutor's Office has filed an indictment against Ranko Babić, born in 1952 in Prijedor, Bratislav Bilbija, born in 1963 in Prijedor, and Đuro Adamović, born in 1951 in Prijedor.

The accused are charged that during the war and armed conflict in BiH, as part of a wide and systematic attack on the civilian population of Bosniak nationality in the Prijedor area, in their capacity as commanders and members of the VRS, they acted contrary to the provisions of the Geneva Conventions on the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War.

The indictment states that in August 1992, the accused came to the village of Ljeskare, Bukvik hamlet, where civilians of Bosniak nationality were located, and separated several men, including minors.

After that, they participated in the torture, abuse, and murder of civilians of Bosniak nationality, of whom two victims were killed in the said location, and three civilians were taken in an unknown direction, after which all trace of them was lost.

The accused Babić, as an officer and the highest-ranking, is accused of participating in the commission of the crime, and of failing to take measures to prevent the crime and punish the perpetrators.

The accused are 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 BiH Court for confirmation.