BOSNIAN STATE COURT INDICTS SERBIAN WAR CRIMINAL VINKO KONDIC FOR GENOCIDE

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (March 12,2008) – The Bosnian State Court confirmed yesterdy the indictment against Serbian war criminal Vinko Kondic for organising a group of Serbians living in Bosnia and "abetting them to commit genocide and crimes against humanity and war crimes," on the territory of the Bosnian town of Kljuc,during the 1992-1995 Serbian aggression against Bosnia.

The 22-count indictment charges Serbian war criminal Vinko Kondic with having one of the "key roles in the implementation of a joint criminal enterprise", and with having "planned, prepared, initiated, ordered and committed or failed to undertake the necessary measures to prevent or sanction the perpetration of criminal offences."

The realisation of the joint criminal enterprise started with the Serbian forces taking control over the villages and settlements in Kljuc municipality. It continued with mass murder,unlawful captivation, detention, beating, torture, detention in inhumane conditions, forcible resettlement and deportation of the Bosnian civilians from their homes, the indictment states.

The indictment further said that the goal of the joint criminal enterprise was to "realise and implement the (Serbian Democratic Party) SDS strategic plan," whose aim was to create areas in Bosnia from which Bosnian and Croatian population would be eliminated and permanently and forcibly removed."

The Prosecution considers that Serbian war criminal Vinko Kondic "deliberately participated in the mistreatment system", because he was aware of the existence of the concentration camps in Kljuc area, as well as of systematic killing, mistreatment and deportation of the Bosnian civilians, without doing anything to stop or prevent the mistreatment or punish the perpetrators.

Under Serbian war criminal Vinko Kondic's command members of the genocidal Serbian aggressor's formations participated in arrests, examination, psychological and mental abuse,mass murder and the detention of Bosnian civilians in the concentration camps established in this Bosnian town during the 1992-1995 Serbian aggression against Bosnia.

The indictment states that, from May 27 to the end of August of 1992, Bosnian civilians from Kljuc, Sanica, Krasulja, Ramici, Prhovi, Velagici and other Bosnian villages and settlements were taken away by the genocidal Serbian aggressor and detained in the elementary school building in Sanica, Nikola Mackic School building in Kljuc, PSC Kljuc, the former railway station in Sanica, the football stadium in Kljuc and the machines factory in Halinovsko Vrelo, where the Bosnian civilians were tortured.

The indictment further states that, on July 10, 1992 the Serbian aggressor detained more than 200 Bosnian civilians from the villages and hamlets in Kljuc area in the school building in Donji Biljani. It further states that, following the torture, these Bosnian civilians were taken out and mass murdered. On that occasion, "at least 219" Bosnian civilians were murdered by the genocidal Serbian aggressor.

Bodies of the genocide victims from Kljuc area were found in "Bunarevi 1", "Zablece", "Vucije poljane", "Crvena zemlja" and "Laniste 1" mass graves.

As per the current legal provisions, Serbian war criminal Vinko Kondic is due to attend a plea hearing before the Bosnian State Court within the next 15 days. He is currently held in custody.
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