[Nettime-bold] Re: RS Prosecution Office completes war crimes indictment against Izetbegovic

["Ivo Skoric" <ivo@reporters.net>]

Ah, isn't it so comforting to see that Republika Srpska is at last 
willing to show at least some level of cooperation with the ICTY? 
ivo

Bosnia's Serb entity may not be handing over indictees to the UN tribunal,
but it is handing over indictments.  This week, it is handing the ICTY an
indictment accusing former Bosnian President Alija Izetbegovic of criminal
responsibility for war crimes against Serbs allegedly committed during the
1992-95 war.  Under the Rules of the Road agreement, once the ICTY reviews
the charges and the evidence submitted to it, it has a range of options:
of launching its own prosecution, of giving local authorities in Bosnia
the go-ahead to prosecute the case in a local court, or of quashing the
indictment.

Andras Riedlmayer
=====================================================================
Agence France-Presse
November 7, 2001

Izetbegovic's party attacks his indictment by Bosnian Serbs

   SARAJEVO, Nov 7 (AFP) -- Supporters of the former Bosnian Muslim
leader, Alija Izetbegovic, attacked Bosnian Serbs on Wednesday for
preparing an indictment alleging war crimes against Izetbegovic
for the UN war crimes tribunal.

   "This is an attempt to divert attention here and abroad from the
real criminal groups and individuals, who are (both) publicly and
secretly governing Republika Srpska," Izetbegovic's Party of Democratic
Action (SDA), said in a press release.  "He (Izetbegovic) did all he
could to prevent the war and after the war broke out he did all that
was in his power to prevent violence and crimes," the SDA said.

   Bosnian Serb authorities said on Friday that they would send documents
charging Izetbegovic with war crimes against Bosnian Serbs during the
1992-95 war, to the International Criminal Tribunal for former Yugoslavia.

   Izetbegovic was Bosnia's president during the war.

   Once it receives the file, the ICTY will decide whether to charge
Izetbegovic, who stepped down from Bosnia's tripartite presidency in
October 2000, or to allow Bosnian Serb authorities to pursue the matter.

   Under an accord outlining procedures for the arrest of war criminals
and the handling of war crimes charges, the ICTY has to give its approval
before suspects can be indicted or arrested by local authorities.

   The SDA has repeatedly called for the arrest of Bosnian Serb wartime
leader Radovan Karadzic and his military commander Ratko Mladic.

   Both have been accused of genocide by the ICTY, and are still at large,
believed to be hiding in the RS.
________________________________________________________________________
OHR Media BiH Round-up
Nov. 5, 2001

RS Prosecution Office completes war crimes indictment against Izetbegovic

   Weekend edition of Jutarnje Novine reported that the Republika Srpska
Prosecution Office had completed an indictment against the Bosniak wartime
leader, Alija Izetbegovic, for war crimes committed against Serbs during
the war in BiH. According to the procedure defined by the entity law on
cooperation with the Hague Tribunal, the indictment will be forwarded to
the Tribunal early next week. The war crime charges against Izetbegovic
have been amended and contain both written and video evidences. It was
announced that more details of the charges would be revealed at a news
conference next week, a statement issued by the public relations office
of the RS government says. It adds that apart from representatives of the
RS office for liaison with the Hague tribunal, the news conference would
be addressed by Prime Minister Mladen Ivanic, Justice Minister Biljana
Maric and Public Prosecutor Vojislav Dimitrijevic.
________________________________________________________________________
Agence France-Presse
November 2, 2001

Bosnian Serbs to send Izetbegovic indictment to war crimes court

   BANJA LUKA, Bosnia-Hercegovina, Nov 2 (AFP) -- The Bosnian Serb public
prosecutor has completed a war crimes indictment against former Bosnian
Muslim leader Alija Izetbegovic and will send it to the UN war crimes
court, the government announced Friday.

   Republika Srpska's (RS, Bosnian Serb entity) bureau for cooperation
with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY)
said the charge was an extended version of an indictment submitted in
1996.  The latest indictment contains "new proof" against Izetbegovic,
who is accused of war crimes committed against Serbs during the 1992-95
Bosnian war, during which some 200,000 people lost their lives.

   It is up to The Hague-based tribunal to decide whether to indict
Izetbegovic, who stepped down from Bosnia's tripartite presidency in
October 2000.

   The RS bureau said it would provide more details on the indictment
against Izetbegovic at a press conference next week.

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