22 perpetrators convicted for crimes in Srebrenica, 788 more executioners await their turn

The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina have so far convicted a total of 22 individuals for crimes in Srebrenica, reports the BH news agency Patria (NAP).

The first indictee convicted for genocide in Srebrenica was Radislav Krstić, former commander of the Drina Corps, who received a 46-year prison sentence in 2001, but his sentence was reduced to 35 years after an appeal. Krstić was the first European convicted of genocide by an international court after the Nuremberg trials.

The last convicted was Zdravko Tolimir. Judges of the Hague Tribunal sentenced him to life imprisonment. He was a member of the so-called joint criminal enterprise whose goal was to kill Muslim prisoners from Srebrenica and expel civilians from the area.

Tolimir was also present in Srebrenica and Žepa in July 1995 when the crime was committed. The judges determined that he not only knew what was happening in that city but personally proposed the killing of refugees.

It is stated that during the aggression against BiH from '92 to '95, slightly more than 8,000 Bosniaks were killed in Srebrenica, mostly civilians, women, children, the wounded, and the infirm. However, Munira Subašić from the Association "Mothers of the Enclaves of Srebrenica and Žepa" claims that 10,701 innocent people were killed in this area, including women, children, men, the sick, and prisoners.

The largest number of them were killed within just three days.

Although 22 perpetrators have been convicted for the crimes so far, the number of those found to have participated in the killing of Bosniaks is 810. Many of them still hold important state positions in BiH, such as Nedeljko Mlađenović, mayor of Bratunac municipality, Dragoslav Todorović, mayor of Vlasenica municipality, and Živojin Jurošević, mayor of Milići municipality, as well as many other high-ranking officials in Republika Srpska.

Slobodan Milošević, former president of Serbia, was also indicted for various crimes in Bosnia, including Srebrenica, but he died before the verdict.

Colonel Vidoje Blagojević was found guilty of war crimes in Srebrenica in January 2005 and sentenced to 18 years in prison, which was reduced to 15 years after an appeal.

However, Blagojević was released even earlier than his sentence stipulated because the laws of certain countries, to which convicts are transferred, allow for early release after serving two-thirds of the sentence, provided certain conditions are met. For example, due to good behavior and rehabilitation of the convict.

In June 2010, the ICTY delivered verdicts against seven military and police officials of the Bosnian Serbs for the massacre in Srebrenica and Žepa. The trial of Popović and others began in July 2006, and the closing arguments were completed in September 2009. It was the largest trial of this institution up to that point. The Trial Chamber sat for a total of 425 days, and more than 5,300 pieces of evidence were included in the court file, and 315 witnesses were heard.

Vujadin Popović, intelligence officer of the Drina Corps of the Army of Republika Srpska, and Ljubiša Beara, colonel of the same army, were found guilty of genocide, extermination, persecution, and murder and were sentenced to life imprisonment. Drago Nikolić, head of security of the Zvornik Brigade, was found guilty of participation and aiding in genocide and was sentenced to 35 years in prison. Ljubomir Borovčanin was sentenced to 17 years. Vinko Pandurević received 13, Radivoje Miletić 19, and Milan Gvero five years in prison.

In 2005, the ICTY also indicted Milorad Trbić - among other things, for being responsible for the execution of about 1,000 Bosniaks in Orahovac in one day, July 13, 1995, and many other crimes, but his case was transferred to the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina. He was sentenced to a long prison term of 30 years.

The trial of Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadžić began in The Hague in 2009, and the trial is still ongoing. The perpetrator Ratko Mladić was arrested on May 25, 2011, and his trial before the Hague Tribunal is also still ongoing, writes Patria.