Prosecutor's Office of BiH: Number of 500 Persons Indicted for War Crimes Surpassed

The Prosecutor's Office of BiH informs citizens and the public of BiH that a few days ago, the number of 500 persons indicted for war crimes and serious violations of international humanitarian law was surpassed, i.e., 509 persons have been indicted for war crimes, reports the Patria news agency.

Prosecutors of the Prosecutor's Office of BiH from the Special Department for War Crimes recently filed indictments that pushed the number of those indicted for war crimes past 500 since the start of the work of the Special Department for War Crimes in 2005.

In the past two and a half years, from 2013 to today, 235 persons have been indicted, i.e., nearly 50 percent of those indicted for war crimes since the establishment of the Prosecutor's Office of BiH in 2003.

The indictees, who have been indicted for war crimes by the Prosecutor's Office of BiH, come from all peoples and all parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and are charged with war crimes committed from 1992 to 1995 in all parts of BiH, from Bužim to Trebinje, from Bijeljina to Čapljina, from Zvornik to Drvar, etc.

The indictments relate to crimes committed against victims of all nationalities in all parts of BiH. The indictments include criminal offenses of genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes against the civilian population and prisoners of war, and a significant number of indictments also relate to cases of wartime sexual violence, rape, and sexual abuse of victims.

- We particularly wish to highlight the fact that all indictments filed by the Prosecutor's Office of BiH for war crimes have been confirmed (an indictment was rejected in only one case against one accused), and in the practice and processing of cases so far, convictions have been handed down in more than 81% of cases, which speaks to the quality of the indictments and the professional approach to work on cases - state from the Prosecutor's Office.

In this process, we are developing cooperation with countries in the region in order to realize the prosecution of suspects hiding in neighboring countries, and we are intensively searching for suspects with partner institutions from around the world, as confirmed by the extraditions of suspects from the USA, Spain, Norway, and other countries, while activities are underway for the extradition of suspects from the Netherlands, Switzerland, and France.

We are grateful to the citizens of BiH, government institutions in our country, the international community, and all those who have recognized our efforts and provide us with support in our work, and especially to the families of victims, whose lives and fates have been tragically affected by the war crimes committed.

In our mission, we continue further, and our goal is the prosecution and punishment of persons suspected of war crimes, in order to punish the crimes committed, establish the rule of law, as well as a peaceful and safe environment for the lives of all citizens of BiH and future generations to come.