Israel to extradite war crimes suspect to Bosnia News
Israel to extradite war crimes suspect to Bosnia
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[JURIST] The Jerusalem District Court on Monday ruled that suspected Bosnian war criminal Aleksander Cvetkovic could be extradited to Bosnia to stand trial for crimes committed during the 1992-1995 Bosnian Civil War [JURIST news archive]. Bosnian authorities claim that Cvetkovic participated in the 1995 Srebrenica Massacre [JURIST news archive] that saw more than 8,000 Bosnian Muslims killed over a 10-day period. Witnesses claim Cvetokovic was among eight soldiers [AP report] at Branjevo Farm during the massacre who executed over 1,000 blindfolded Muslim prisoners as they exited buses. Cvetkovic claims he did not participate [Reuters report] in the massacre. Bosnia first asked Israel to extradite Cvetkovic, whom they claim was in the 10th Sabotage Detachment of the Army of Republika Srpska, in August 2010. He has been held in jail [JURIST report] in Israel since January and will be extradited in 60 days if his lawyer does not appeal the ruling.

A number of cases have been opened in relation to the Bosnian Civil War. The Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina [official website] confirmed the indictment [JURIST report] of former police officer Bozidar Kuvelja in March for his role in the 1995 massacre. In February, French authorities arrested Milorad Momic [JURIST report] under an international arrest warrant for his suspected involvement in the massacre. The war crimes court began trying four members of the 10th Sabotage Detachment [press release] in December for genocide for their actions at Branjevo Farm after indicting them [JURIST report] last August. Also in December, the war crimes court found four policemen guilty [JURIST report] of killing Muslim civilians during the Bosnian Civil War, handing them sentences ranging from 15 to 27 years in prison. The Prosecutors Office for BiH [official website] announced in November that Dragan Crnogorac was arrested [JURIST report] on suspicion for having committed genocide under Article 171 of the BiH criminal code [text, PDF]. Last August, Spanish officials extradited accused Montenegrin war criminal [JURIST report] Veselin Vlahovic, known as the “monster of Grbavica,” to Sarajevo. He is wanted on three international arrest warrants, including one for the rape, torture and murder of more than 100 women and children and is expected to face genocide charges before the country’s war crimes court.