MOTION FILED FOR ORDERING CUSTODY AGAINST 13 PERSONS SUSPECTED OF WAR CRIMES IN THE TERRITORY OF DOBOJ AND TESLIĆ

The Prosecutor’s Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina filed a motion to a preliminary proceedings judge of the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina for ordering custody against 13 persons for the existence of a grounded suspicion that they committed war crimes and crimes against humanity against Bosniak and Croatian victims in the territory of Doboj and Teslić in the course of 1992.

The custody motion is filed against the following persons: Andrija Bjelošević (1954), Milan Savić (1952), Dušan Kuzmanović (1955), Predrag Markočević (1957), Marinko Đukić (1964), Miroslav Pijunović (1956), Dobrivoje Ćulibrk (1956), Dragan Marjanović (1971), Dario Slavuljica (1973), Saša Gavranović (1966), Predrag Subotić (1972) Vitomir Dević (1967) and Zoran Šljuka (1957).

The ordering of custody measure is moved for the reasons described in Article 132 (b) and (d) of the Criminal Proceedings Code of Bosnia and Herzegovina (CPC BiH), i.e. because of the fear that if at large, the suspects might hinder investigation, conceal evidence and exert influence on witnesses or accessories, as well as because of the method of perpetration of the criminal offense that has caused great disturbance in citizens and the public.

The listed suspects are under investigation for the criminal offense of Crimes against Humanity in violation of Article 172 of the Criminal Code of Bosnia and Herzegovina (CC BiH).

The suspects committed criminal offenses in the territory of Doboj and Teslić as members of the military formation “Miće”, which included some former, high-ranking police officials. As a result of the offenses, at least 40 victims were killed, several hundreds of persons were persecuted, forcefully transferred and unlawfully detained and the property of the Bosniak and Croatian victims from Teslić and a larger number of neighboring settlements was looted and destroyed.

For the reasons stated above and upon examining the suspects, the Prosecutor on the case filed the motion to the Court to order custody against the suspects in the duration of 30 days.

The Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina will render a decision on the custody motion.