BiH PROSECUTOR’S OFFICE WILL APPEAL THE COURT’S DECISION TO TERMINATE CUSTODY TO SUSPECTS IN THE “MIĆE” CASE. ANXIETY OF WITNESSES AND VICTIMS ALREADY REGISTERED IN THE FIELD

Prosecutor of the Prosecutor’s Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina will lodge an Appeal against the Decision to terminate custody of the suspect Andrija Bjelošević and eight (8) other persons suspected of war crimes committed in the territory of Doboj and Teslić.  

In its Appeal, the Prosecutor’s Office will insist on imposing a measure of custody on these suspects, some of whom had been high-ranking police officials in the time of war.

According to the operative knowledge of the police officers conducting the investigation in the field, anxiety of victims and witnesses and their refusal to testify have already been noticed, which may be harmful to the investigation.    

It is important to note that, in its Decision imposing prohibiting measures on the aforementioned suspects, the Court of BiH determined the existence of a grounded suspicion that the aforementioned suspects had committed the criminal offense in question, as well as the existence of particular circumstances indicating that the suspects, if at large, might hinder the investigation, conceal evidence or influence witnesses or accessories.  

Due to the aforementioned, as well as in view of the fact that this case has been transferred to the BiH jurisdiction by the ICTY Office of the Prosecutor, the Prosecutor’s Office of BiH will lodge an appeal requesting the aforementioned Decision to be revised and a measure of custody to be imposed on the suspects, as such measure is the only measure that would enable an unhindered conduct of the investigation and is fully in the interest of the investigation in this case.