SLOW JUDICIARY MAKES JUSTICE UNATTAINABLE FOR FAMILIES OF SERB VICTIMS

SARAJEVO, NOVEMBER 2 /SRNA/ - The chances of resolving all backlog war crimes cases within the next three years are slim, given the previous pace of work of the BiH judiciary, as well as the cases involving persons who remain fugitives from justice.

It is said that justice is slow but attainable. However, in the case of BiH, the judiciary is so slow that the families of many Serb victims are unlikely ever to see justice served. That the proposal of the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council /HJPC/ of BiH to extend the deadline for implementing the Revised Strategy for War Crimes Prosecution is nothing but window dressing and an attempt to deceive those still waiting to see justice is confirmed by both SRNA’s interlocutors and responses from official institutions. The implacable figures confirm that such doubts are justified. This year, the Special Department for War Crimes of the Prosecutor’s Office of BiH filed six indictments, all of which were confirmed. By September 30 of this year, courts across BiH had resolved a total of 135,510 of the oldest cases, of which the Court of BiH handled by far the fewest, only 1,153. SUFFERING PODRINJE STILL AWAITING JUSTICE “It is in vain for them to extend deadlines and adopt all sorts of strategies, since the fact is they do not follow them. They only want to deceive the families of Serb victims. It’s nothing but dead ink on paper,” said the President of the Srebrenica Municipal Organization of Families of Captured and Killed Soldiers and Missing Civilians, Branimir Kojić, in a statement to SRNA. Kojić emphasized that his claim is best proven by the Court’s attitude toward Serbs, namely, the number of years in prison given to Serb convicts compared to all others. “The suffering Podrinje still awaits justice, as the Court and the Prosecutor’s Office made no effort to issue an indictment against Zulfo Tursunović, who died a free man. And what can even be said about the farce called Naser Orić?” asked Kojić, who is also the director of the Memorial Complex dedicated to the Serbs killed in Central Podrinje and Birač. Kojić says that in these two cases alone, the Court and Prosecutor’s Office demonstrated complete bias in favor of Muslims and against Serb victims. “When it comes to Kemal Mehmedović, who used to behead Serbs, and Almir Beganović, whom we constantly mention, they are doing nothing. They literally do not want to lift a finger. They do everything to protect them, with the help of Austria and the United States. The crimes committed in Dobrovoljačka Street, the Tuzla Convoy, the Western Krajina municipalities, Jošanica, Mount Ozren, and other parts of BiH remain unpunished. This shows that killing Serbs is apparently something permitted and that all those responsible will be protected,” Kojić said. Kojić emphasized that some cases have been dragging on for seven or eight years without resolution, meaning justice will never be served. “Those who receive disgracefully light sentences are allowed to flee to Turkey and live freely there. The Sarajevo mahala protects all of its wartime personnel, provides them with cover, and portrays them as heroes, and those still at large mock the families of Serb victims at various gatherings and public events,” Kojić said. VAGUE RESPONSES FROM COMPETENT AUTHORITIES CONFIRM JUSTIFIED DOUBTS OF FAMILIES OF MURDERED SERBS In response to SRNA's question about whether the additional three years for implementing the Revised Strategy will be enough to resolve at least the most complex war crimes cases, HJPC President Sanin Bogunić assured that the Council, within its competencies, will insist on this. "However, the relevant prosecutor’s offices and courts are the ones who should be asked this question. As for those unavailable to justice, regional cooperation is crucial, and we are working on it intensively," Bogunić said. In response to questions about whether the three-year extension for the Revised Strategy will finally resolve this issue in BiH, what about those who remain unavailable, how many there are, and whether they are Serbs, Croats, or Bosniaks, SRNA received only vague answers, from which it can be concluded that nothing will come of this matter. The Court of BiH stated that the three-year extension for implementing the Revised Strategy for War Crimes in BiH could be useful, but by itself is not a guarantee that the issue of prosecuting war crimes will finally be resolved. “For the Court, having more time to complete complex cases, involving numerous witnesses and evidence, would be significant, so the additional three years could allow for more efficient completion of proceedings,” the judicial institution told SRNA. The Court of BiH said that the extension of the deadline is also significant for strengthening the capacities of prosecutor’s offices and courts, if the additional time is used for further training and expert assistance, which could improve the quality of proceedings. “Ultimately, we also believe that the additional time can be used to enhance regional cooperation with Serbia, Croatia, and Montenegro in cases with cross-border aspects, such as the transfer of cases, submission of evidence, and other aspects of international legal assistance,” the Court of BiH stated. The Prosecutor’s Office of BiH was even less specific, simply referring to the institution’s website, which shows that this year the Special Department for War Crimes filed six indictments that were confirmed, and a total of 15 in 2024. The HJPC recently reported that, according to the latest annual analysis, courts in BiH had resolved a total of 135,510 of the oldest cases by September 30 of this year. Of the resolved cases, courts in Republika Srpska handled 40,450 cases, while courts in the Federation of BiH resolved 91,614 cases. Courts in the Brčko District resolved 2,293 cases, and the Court of BiH resolved 1,153 cases.