INDICTMENT FILED FOR CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY IN BIHAĆ AREA

A prosecutor of the Special Department for War Crimes of the Prosecutor’s Office of BiH filed an indictment against:

- DUŠAN CIMEŠA, born in 1958 in Donja Gata, Municipality of Bihać, residing in Belgrade, citizen of BiH and Republic of Serbia.

The accused is charged with the fact that he, as Chief of the Public Security Station of the Serb Municipality of Bihać based in Ripač and member of the Crisis Staff, i.e. member of the War Presidency of the Serb Municipality of Bihać, in the period between early May to late December 1992 during the war Bosnia and Herzegovina, within a widespread and systematic attack of the army and police directed against the Bosniak population in the territory of the Serbian municipality of Bihać, knowing that the assault and their actions form part of that attack, knowingly took part in the joint criminal enterprise with the common goal of ethnic cleansing the territory of the Serb municipality of Bihać from the Bosniak civilian population who lived there, by way of carrying out persecution on national and religious bases.

The implementation of the strategic plan involved the deportation and forced displacement of the population by attacking the civilian population and settlements, which resulted in murders, infliction of severe bodily injuries and detention or other grave deprivations of physical freedom contrary to the basic rules of international humanitarian law.

The accused is charged with managing and taking part in negotiating, planning and realisation of attacks on the settlements and the majority Bosniak population in the areas of Ljutočka valley and Ripač, which resulted in the killing of at least nine people and forcible expulsion of 6,000 civilians - women, children and men. Following the separation and detention of men of military age, a total of 140 prisoners were taken in groups and the detained at the IMT detention camp at Ripač where they were unlawfully held in inhumane conditions.

The accused is charged with committing the criminal offence of Crimes against Humanity in violation of Article 172(1) (h) as read with subparagraphs (a), (d), (e) and (k) thereof, in conjunction with Article 173(1) (a) and all in conjunction with Article 180(1) of the Criminal Code of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The indictment was forwarded to the Court of BiH for confirmation.