Friday, September 5, 2008

BOSNIAN STATE PROSECUTOR REQUESTS CUSTODY EXTENSION FOR SERBIAN WAR CRIMINAL RADOMIR VUKOVIC

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (September 5,2008) - The Bosnian State Prosecution filed a motion, requesting the custody extension for Serbian war criminal Radomir Vukovic, who is charged with Genocide, because he might attempt to flee to the genocidal Serbia or Russia should he be released. The Bosnian State Court will render its decision concerning this proposal at a later stage.

The indictment states that, from July 10 to July 19, 1995,during the 1992-1995 Serbian aggression against Bosnia, Serbian war criminal Radomir Vukovic,a former member of the genocidal Serbian fascist aggressor's formations, participated in a joint criminal enterprise, with an aim of forcibly deporting about 40 thousand of Bosnian civilians from the UN protected zone in the eastern Bosnian town of Srebrenica.

Besides that Serbian war criminal Radomir Vukovic participated in the mass murder of about 10 thousand Bosnian civilians.Serbian war criminal Radomir Vukovic is considered responsible for the mass murder of about 1500 Bosnian civilians in the eastern Bosnian village of Kravice on July 13,1995. It is stated that he threw bombs at the Bosnian civilians, while other genocidal Serbian aggressor's soldiers were murdering them by shooting from machine guns and throwing bombs at them.

Following his extradition to Bosnia, the Bosnian State Court ordered him into a one-month custody starting in early August this year.

"The indictee has informed the Court that he does not have a registered place of residence in Bosnia. The Prosecution has been informed that the indictee's wife lives and works in Belgrade (Serbia). Therefore, he does not have a motive to stay in Bosnia. Besides that he used to work in Russia, where he assumingly established contacts with local people. He probably can find a job in that country. The Prosecution believes that he might leave his family and look for a job in Russia," Prosecutor Kwai Hong Ip said.

The Bosnian State Prosecutior said that Serbian war criminal Radomir Vukovic might "put pressure on accomplices and helpers, asking them to change their statements".

Defence attorney Radivoje Lazarevic said that the motion itself was "contradictory".

"On the one hand the Prosecutor claims that there is a danger that the indictee might try to flee to Serbia, should he be released from custody. On the other hand, he claims that, should he be at liberty, he might attempt to influence witnesses, who live in another country. The witnesses have given their statements two or three times already. It is not clear how he can change those statements. I am absolutely certain that the conditions for extending his custody have not been met," Lazarevic considers.
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