All five convicted today for war crimes in Zecovi fled to Serbia

(Patria) - All those who were today preliminarily convicted by the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina to a total of 59 years in prison for war crimes committed in the Prijedor village of Zecovi in July 1992 are currently not in BiH, which also means they are unavailable to the BiH judiciary.

Murat Tahirović, president of the Association of Victims and Witnesses of Genocide, confirmed this for the Patria News Agency.

Let us recall, the preliminary panel of the Court of BiH today convicted Ilija Zorić to 20 years, Zoran Milunić to 14, Dušan Milunić to 12, Zoran Stojnić to eight, and Ljubiša Četić to five years in prison.

These five were convicted for crimes against humanity which include persecution of civilians of Bosniak nationality, murders, torture, rape, and confinement in camps in the village of Zecovi near Prijedor in July 1992.

In the same case, Radovan Četić, Željko Grbić, Boško Grujičić, Rade Grujičić, Uroš Grujičić, and Rajko Gnjatović were acquitted. Furthermore, all 11 were acquitted of participating in a joint criminal enterprise.

None of the accused appeared at today's sentencing, and given that this is a preliminary verdict, there is a possibility of appeal within 15 days.

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Court of BiH: 59 years in prison for war crime in Prijedor village of Zecovi

(Patria) - The Court of BiH today issued a preliminary verdict in which Ilija Zorić was sentenced to 20 years, Dušan Milunić to 12, Zoran Stojnić to eight, Zoran Milunić to 14, and Ljubiša Četić to five years in prison. These five were convicted for crimes against h

- It is well known that Serbia and Croatia are considered havens for war criminals, so it is not surprising that the aforementioned convicted and acquitted individuals did not appear at today's sentencing. These five convicted individuals, if they had not already fled to Serbia, have definitely done so today - Tahirović told us.

Our interlocutor reminds that numerous perpetrators of the most serious criminal offenses for which they have been convicted by courts in BiH, such as Novak Đukić (finally convicted to 20 years in prison for the crime at Tuzla Gate), are unavailable and their sentences will never be executed.

- In addition to the convicted, all others who are under investigation or indictment have mostly found refuge in Serbia or Croatia, respectively - says Tahirović.

He emphasizes that the list of unavailable persons published by the BiH Prosecutor's Office is staggering, numbering as many as 172 individuals, according to him.

- And all of them, or almost all of them, are located in Serbia or Croatia. And these are countries that are members of the European Union or are on the path to becoming one - Tahirović told NAP.

In Zecovi, during July 1992, members of the Army of Republika Srpska, police, and the Crisis Headquarters killed more than 150 Bosniaks. The search for 30 murdered individuals is still ongoing.

(D.Kovač)