Srebrenica perpetrator Beara serving life sentence in Germany

The Hague Tribunal announced that Army of Republika Srpska officer, Ljubiša Beara, has been transferred from The Hague detention to serve his life sentence in a German prison, reports the Patria News Agency.

Germany is one of the countries cooperating with the Hague Court, which was stated in the reasoning of the order transferring Beara to its prison.

Let us recall, the Appeals Chamber of the Hague Court confirmed at the end of January this year the long-term sentences of Republika Srpska Army officers convicted of genocide against Bosniaks in Srebrenica and Žepa in July 1995, rejecting almost all relevant grounds of appeal by the convicts in the case known as Popović et al.

The appellate judges confirmed the findings of the trial chamber regarding convictions for genocide, additionally convicting some VRS officers for association in order to commit genocide, by killing around 8,000 Bosniak boys and men.

The first defendant, Vujadin Popović, Chief of Security of the Drina Corps of the VRS, and the second defendant, Ljubiša Beara, Chief of Security in the Main Staff of the VRS – had their life sentences confirmed.

A long-term sentence of 35 years in prison for aiding and abetting genocide in Srebrenica was also confirmed for Drago Nikolić, security officer of the Zvornik Brigade of the VRS.

The commander of the Zvornik Brigade of the VRS, Vinko Pandurević, also received his initial prison sentence of 13 years, while the sentence for Radivoje Miletić, head of operational-instructional affairs in the Main Staff, was reduced only slightly – from 19 years in prison to 18.

Five of them remained until the end in the appellate proceedings, without Milan Gvero, assistant commander of the Main Staff of the VRS for morale, legal and religious affairs of Ratko Mladić, who served his five-year sentence in The Hague detention.

As well as without Ljubomir Borovčanin, commander of the special police unit – who accepted the initial sentence of 17 years in prison, to which the Hague prosecution did not appeal either, writes RSE.