INDICTMENT ISSUED FOR WAR CRIMES IN THE DRETELJ CAMP

A Prosecutor of the Special Department for War Crimes has issued an Indictment against Vid Palameta (1964), also known as Dugi, a former member of HVO charged with War Crimes against Civilians, as referred to in Article 173 of the Criminal Code of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

A Prosecutor of the Regional Team V of the Special Department for War Crimes has issued an Indictment against Vid Palameta, born on 03 May 1964 in Stolac, a citizen of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Republic of Croatia.

The accused is charged with acting in violation of the provisions of Geneva Conventions relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, in the summer of 1993, during the war and armed conflict in Bosnia and Herzegovina, in his capacity of a Commander of the Logistics Squad of the HVO Military Police and a Platoon Shift Commander in the Dretelj prison also known as the Dretelj camp, in the territory of Čapljina Municipality.

The accused is charged to have, alone or with other members of HVO, personally committed mistreatment, looting, beating and torture of Bosniak victims imprisoned in the Dretelj camp, in extremely humiliating ways.

Inter alia, the accused is charged with mistreating and participating in the mistreatment - intentional infliction of physical or mental pain or suffering upon the detained civilians and violation of their bodily integrity, as well as with taking away their money and other valuables and ordering the prisoners to fight with each other, which resulted in the death of one of the prisoners, whereby he violated the rules of international law.

The accused Vid Palameta is charged with the commission of the criminal offense of War Crimes against Civilians, as referred to in Article 173 of the Criminal Code of Bosnia and Herzegovina. 

The Indictment and its evidentiary material have been forwarded to the Court of BiH for confirmation.