Bosnian court orders release of war crimes suspect on technicality News
Bosnian court orders release of war crimes suspect on technicality

[JURIST] The War Crimes Chamber [OSCE backgrounder] of Bosnia's State Court on Thursday ordered suspected Bosnian Serb war criminal Dragomir Abazovic released from police custody due to a problem with his arrest warrant. Abazovic was arrested [JURIST report] earlier this month by European Union EUFOR [official website] peacekeeping troops in a shootout that led to the killing of Abazovic's wife and the wounding of the war crimes suspect and his son. Abazovic, who remains hospitalized in a Sarajevo medical facility, was indicted in 1999 for crimes he allegedly committed in the Rogatica area during the 1992-1995 ethnic war between Serbs, Bosnian Muslims, and Croats. The court ruled Thursday that Abazovic should be freed because the warrant for his arrest was issued by Sarajevo's Cantonal Court, before the case was referred to the war crimes court in July 2005. Additionally, the warrant was not based on the correct law, the Criminal Procedure Code of Bosnia and Herzegovina [text, DOC]. Reuters has more. FENA has local coverage.

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