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INDICTMENT ISSUED AGAINST VITOMIR RACKOVIĆ (1950) FOR CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY
27.11.2013. 15:37Prosecutor of the Regional Team III of the Special Department for War Crimes within the Prosecutor's Office of BiH issued an indictment against Vitomir Racković, born on March 13, 1950 in Viešgrad where he resides, a citizen of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The suspect Vitomir Racković is charged to have participated, as a member of the Army of Republika Srpska, in the persecution of the Bosniak civilian population on ethnic and religious grounds during the period from mid-May to the end of August 1992 within a widespread and systematic attack of the Army and Police of Republika Srpska as well as paramilitaries directed against the Bosniak civilian population in the municipality of Višegrad.
The indictment alleges that, armed with an automatic rifle, the suspect Vitomir Racković repeatedly took part in the attack on the Bosniak villages of Crni Vrh, Osojnica, Kabernik and Holijaci in the municipality of Višegrad together with a group of armed Serb soldiers, during the course of which he participated in incarceration, torture, enforced disappearances of persons, rapes and other inhumane acts of a similar character perpetrated to intentionally cause great suffering, or serious physical or psychological harm or damage to health.
The indictment alleges that the suspect Vitomir Racković participated in the detention of Bosniak civilians, some of which are unaccounted for. The bodies of some of the missing civilians were exhumed in 2000 at the location of "Slap" in Žepa.
As further alleged in the indictment, on July 5, 1992 the suspect Vitomir Racković, along with another unidentified Serb soldier, armed with an automatic rifle, came in front of the Bosniak houses in the settlement of Bikavac in Višegrad where Bosniak women from the surrounding villages were situated. He has taken five women out and driven them to an abandoned house in the village of Crnča, where he participated in the rapes of the aforementioned women.
The accused is charged with committing the criminal offense of Crimes against Humanity under Article 172, Paragraph 1, Subparagraph h) of the Criminal Code of Bosnia and Herzegovina, in conjunction with Subparagraphs e), f), g), i) and k), all in conjunction with Article 180, Paragraph 1 of the same Code.
The indictment was forwarded to the Court of BiH for confirmation.
This announcement does not prejudice the outcome of the criminal proceedings and does not violate the principle of the presumption of innocence. A person shall be considered innocent of a crime until guilt has been established by a final verdict (Article 3, paragraph 1 of the CPC BiH).