INDICTMENT ISSUED FOR WAR CRIMES COMMITTED IN VELIKI PARK IN SARAJEVO

The Indictment pertains to the imprisoning, killing and hiding the bodies of eight (8) Serb members of the Yugoslav People’s Army (JNA), in April of 1992.

Prosecutor of the Special Department for War Crimes has issued an Indictment against:

- Dragan Vikić, born in 1955,

- Jusuf Pušina, born in 1949,

- Nermin Uzunović aka “Šok“, born in 1957,

- Mladen Čovčić aka „Rogatica“, born in 1970.

These accused persons are charged with acting, as commanders and members of the Ministry of the Interior, police forces and the reserve police force in Sarajevo, respectively, in violation of the provisions of the Geneva Conventions relative to the protection of prisoners of war, and with having knowledge and information about the capturing of eight (8) Serb members of the Yugoslav People’s Army (JNA) from a broken-down transporter, in April of 1992, in the region of Dobrinja neighbourhood of Sarajevo, as well as with putting them under the control and supervision of police and security structures, who were then taken out to the location of Veliki Park near the Police House in the centre of Sarajevo, where they were killed by a burst of fire and with the participation of Uzunović, Čovčić and other persons, which was in violation of the Geneva Conventions and provisions of the international humanitarian laws defining the treatment of the prisoners of war.

After the killing, their bodies were removed and driven away with the aim of removing and concealing the evidence.

Partial mortal remains of the two of the killed persons have been found, whereas the others are still unaccounted for.

These accused persons are charged with being informed about the crime or personally witnessing the commission of the crime, as members of police and security structures who were in their positions or in the vicinity of the scene of the crime, after which they failed to arrest, prosecute and sanction the perpetrators and prevent the removal of evidence and hiding the bodies.

The Prosecutor’s Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina has conducted a lengthy and detailed investigation in this case, in which several dozens of witnesses have been examined and a large quantity of evidentiary material has been collected. The Prosecutor’s Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina will prove the allegations in its Indictment by summonsing more than eighty (80) witnesses and submitting around four hundred (400) pieces of evidence.

The Indictment has been forwarded to the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina for confirmation.