INDICTMENT ISSUED AGAINST 3 PERSONS FOR WAR CRIMES COMMITTED IN THE WIDER AREA OF TRNOVO

It is one of the most extensive indictments of the Prosecutor’s Office of BiH under which some 140 prosecution witnesses are to be heard.

A Prosecutor of the Special Department for War Crimes issued an indictment against the following persons:

-   Godinjak Edhem, born on December 20,1951 in Sarajevo,

-   Šarić Medaris, born on January 8, 1968, in Beganovi - Hadžići municipality, and

-   Bunoza Mirko, born on June 13, 1968 in Ljubuški.

The accused are charged with having committed, as officials of MoI RBH, TD RBH, the Army of RBiH and HOS /Croatian Armed Forces/, the criminal offense of War Crimes against Civilians under Article 173 of the CC BiH and the criminal offense of  War Crimes against Prisoners of War under Article 175 of the CC BiH in the villages of Trnovo municipality.

The indictment alleges that the accused have knowingly and willingly participated in a joint criminal enterprise with the common goal of multiple killing of Serb civilians living in the villages of Trnovo municipality; their unlawful arrests and incarceration in prison facilities formed in the territory of Trnovo municipality; burning of their property; and deprivation of life and inhumane treatment of captured members of the Army of Republika Srpska incarcerated in prison facilities formed in the territory of Trnovo.

During the perpetration of these war crimes more than 90 persons were killed including most of the elderly some of which  were over 80 and a significant number of women as well as a child born in 1990.

The Prosecutor and the authorized officials of the Prosecutor’s Office of BiH have, together with the authorized police officers from several police agencies, conducted a long and thorough investigation into this case. The indictment issued is one of the most extensive indictments issued in the Special Department for War Crimes from the very inception of the Prosecutor’s office of BiH.

The Prosecutor’s Office of BiH is set to prove the charges listed in the indictment by inviting about 140 prosecution witnesses and by submitting more than 300 exhibits.

This indictment is not an end to prosecution of war crimes committed in the territory of Trnovo. During the course of the investigation evidence was gathered on perpetration of individual war crimes in the territory of several villages in Trnovo area against other identified perpetrators.

Given the less complexity for processing due to the fact that those are matters that concern individual perpetration of war crimes cases,  these cases concerning dozens of suspects - direct perpetrators will be proposed for processing by the relevant entity judicial institutions.

The indictment was forwarded to the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina for confirmation.