SARAJEVO, Bosnia (February 5,2008) - The Bosnian State Court of has found yesterday Serbian war criminals Ranko and Rajko Vukovic guilty, and sentenced each to 12 years of imprisonment.The Court found them guilty of the crimes they committed against Bosnian civilians as members of the genocidal paramilitary formations of the Serbians living in Bosnia (VRS) in Podkolun village, Foca municipality, in 1992,during the Serbian aggression against Bosnia.
The verdict acquitted Serbian war criminal Ranko Vukovic of the charges that he raped a Bosnian woman in Miljevina in June 1992.The Bosnian State Court has also ordered that the two Serbian war criminals be kept in custody until the pronouncement of a second instance verdict.
The Trial Chamber determined that the Bosnian State Prosecutor presented persuasive evidence proving thatSerbian war criminals Ranko and Rajko Vukovic, together with Serbian war criminals Ranko and Blagoje Golubovic, murdered Bosnian civilians Avdija Hukara and Mejra Bekrija.
The first instance verdict indicates that the two Serbian war criminals are guilty of committing, as part of a broad and systematic attack conducted by the genocidal Serbian aggressor's formations and being aware of such an attack, the persecution of Bosnian civilians of Podkolun village on the basis of their ethnicity and religious affiliation.
The Bosnian State Court has also found Serbian war criminals Ranko and Rajko Vukovic guilty of participation in a joint criminal enterprise together with Serbian war criminals Ranko and Blagoje Golubovic, who are not arrested yet.
Justifying the verdict, Trial Chamber Chairman Stanisa Gluhajic said that the Court has determined, beyond reasonable doubt, that Serbian war criminals Ranko and Rajko Vukovic committed the crime against humanity.
"The Court decided to trust the Prosecution witnesses, who said that the Vukovic and Golubovic brothers came to Podkolun village and murdered Avdija Hukara and Mejra Bekrija," Gluhajic said.
"The indictees may have not committed the murder personally, but they did not try to prevent the murder of the two Bosnian civilians in an unprotected village of Podkolun," Gluhajic said, adding that the Defence's material evidence did not manage to rebut the Prosecution's evidence.
The Bosnian State Court acquitted Serbian war criminal Ranko Vukovic of the count charging him with rape of a Bosnian woman in Miljevina village, Foca municipality, due to lack of evidence. The injured party, who testified as Prosecution witness, was encouraged to file a lawsuit.
Explaining the acquitting part of the verdict, Gluhajic said that "the Prosecution has not determined, beyond doubt, that the rape did happen".
"Injured party A altered her statements, when she spoke about the manner in which the crime was committed," Gluhajic said, stressing that witness A showed a large degree of insecurity during her testimony.
Both parties have the right to appeal the verdict.
Serbian war criminal Ranko Vukovic was arrested on June 23 and Serbian war criminal Ranko Vukovic on July 11 last year.
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
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