SUSPECTS OF WAR CRIMES IN ŠTRPCI AND VIŠEGRAD ARRESTED. GREAT SUCCESS OF THE REGIONAL COOPERATION OF THE PROSECUTOR’S OFFICES IN BIH AND SERBIA

Early this morning, upon the orders of the Prosecutor’s Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Office of the War Crimes Prosecutor of the Republic of Serbia, a police operation was conducted simultaneously in the territories of the two respective states and several suspects were deprived of liberty; ten (10) suspects were arrested in Bosnia and Herzegovina, whereas five (5) suspects were arrested in the Republic of Serbia.

Persons deprived of liberty are suspects of war crimes in Štrpci and Višegrad, when at least twenty (20) victims, citizens of Serbia and Montenegro of Bosniak ethnicity, one person of Croat ethnicity and one victim of Afro-Asian origin, were abducted from the train operating from Belgrade to Bar and later killed in the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The Prosecutor’s Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Office of the War Crimes Prosecutor of the Republic of Serbia formed a joint investigative team in this case which was working intensively for almost a year in the territories of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia, in cooperation with police agencies from the two respective states, and collecting evidence on the perpetrators of this horrible crime that had not been resolved for twenty (20) years.

In the course of a detailed and thorough investigation, evidence was collected on the perpetrators of this crime, and Prosecutors from Sarajevo and Belgrade in charge of this case have been in constant contact since the early morning when the arrest operation began.

Some of the suspects were high-ranking military officials of the Army of Republika Srpska from that period, or direct perpetrators who participated in brutal tortures and later executions of the victims who were thrown in the Drina river after the execution.   

This investigation is an example of good and efficient cooperation between the Prosecutor’s Offices of the two respective states, based on the Protocol on Cooperation, as this case refers to a war crime that was perpetrated in the territories of the two states, and the victims and witnesses in this case also reside on the territories of the two states.

The Chief Prosecutors Salihović and Vukčević emphasized that they were extremely satisfied with the work of the joint team who had succeeded in shedding light on this crime and in bringing hope and justice to the families of victims that had been searching for the mortal remains of their dearest ones and calling for finding and punishing the perpetrators of this crime for over a decade.

In the course of this day, the suspects will be handed over to the Prosecutors assigned to his case and the Prosecutors will question the suspects and subsequently decide on putting forward a motion for custody.    

The Prosecutor’s Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Office of the War Crimes Prosecutor of the Republic of Serbia will continue their cooperation in detecting and prosecuting war crimes cases, and the ICTY, MICT and UN Security Council will be informed about the results achieved.