Persons indicted

1 person convicted

Rank(s) of person(s) indicted

reserve police officer, BH Serbian Republic's Ministry of the Interior

Indictment date

04/03/2017

Case stage

proceedings upon appeal

Duration of proceedings since trial commencement

In progress

Witnesses examined

Date and outcome of the first instance verdict

02/02/2021

Sentenced to 9 (nine) years in prison

Date and outcome of decision on appeal

01/31/2023

Date and outcome of verdict in new trial

Criminal offence

war crime against civilian population under article 142 (1) re article 22 of the FRY Criminal Act

Background facts

Тhroughout June and July 1992, in villages Modra, Skucani Vakuf, Naprelke, Lukavica and others in the broader area of Sanski Most, the accused, AA, forcibly removed non-Serb civilians from their homes and held them unlawfully confined in the building of the 'Simo Miljuš' Memorial Museum in Lušci Palanka, municipality Sanski Most, which was guarded by the local police. Both inside the facility and during interrogations on the nearby Police Department premises, AA subjected the captives to severe beatings in order to extract information about arms in their possession and other details regarding the involvement of the local civilian population in the alleged organisation of resistance to the Serbian Army. Among the captives who got kicked and beaten through with all manner of weapons including batons, rifle butts or barrels and other objects, were the following: DD, KDŽ, KM, KS, AS, AM, DŠ, KI, HV, HŠ, BE, CF, KI, BH, MH and others. Some of them first got their legs or arms tied with lengths of rope to chairs and ceiling girders and then beaten until they were unable to move. Among those subjected to such mistreatment was DD, whom the accused, AA, forced to cross himself, crawl along the floor, kiss his army boots and perform similar offensive and humiliating acts intended to cause the victim great suffering and injuries to his health and bodily integrity. In the aftermath of such abuse, DD died in the prison facility;

Procedural remarks

In compliance with article 47 (1) of the Act on International Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters, the OWCP conformed the Una-Sana Cantonal Prosecutor's confirmed indictment (ref. Т01 0 КТRZ 0007998 12) of 18 December 2015 to the laws of the Republic of Serbia.