RESULTS OF REMAINING REPORTS ON EXAMINATION AND IDENTIFICATION IN FACILITIES FOR STORING MORTAL REMAINS IN BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA PRESENTED TO PROSECUTORS’ OFFICES

Following the completed analysis and examination of mortal remains at 12 locations in Bosnia and Herzegovina, ICMP representatives presented the results of the examination of these mortal remains, which are essential for the work of Prosecutor’s Offices in the prosecution of war crimes cases.

Acting Chief Prosecutor of the Prosecutor’s Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina Gordana Tadić and officials from the Special Department for War Crimes took part in the presentation of the results of the analyses of mortal remains carried out under instructions of the Chief Prosecutor of the Prosecutor’s Office of BiH, which was delivered by the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP).

The results of the processing and identification of the found mortal remains that were stored at 12 locations across Bosnia and Herzegovina, including Visoko, Odžak, Modriča, East Sarajevo, Banja Luka and Sanski Most, which were examined over the past two years, were presented within the analysis.

At these locations, there are still mortal remains that have not been identified and buried yet, and the analysis included information that 121 new identities were established through examination of the mortal remains of unknown persons, that several hundreds of re-association reports were made and data on historical mortal remains obtained (remains that are not within the mandate of the Institute for Missing Persons - INO BiH), as well as other categories of cases relating to unknown persons.

It is also expected that activities and actions regarding the found mortal remains and their treatment are defined at a joint meeting in the way that the found and identified mortal remains are buried or permanently stored, that part of the mortal remains is buried at designated places, and also that a solution is found regarding the mortal remains that are not within the mandate of INO BiH.

The whole process is extremely important from the point of view of prosecution of war crimes cases, in the sense of providing evidence for cases in all Prosecutors’ Offices, and the meeting was also attended by officials from the respective Entity Prosecutors’ Office’s and the Prosecutor’s Office of the Brčko District of BiH.