GREGORIAN AND POCAR UNSATISFIED WITH BOSNIAN PRISON SYSTEM

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (May 21,2008) - A year after the escape of the convicted Serbian war criminal Radovan Stankovic from a prison in Bosnia the official response has been far from satisfactory, said the International community's Principal Deputy High Representative in Bosnia Raffi Gregorian at the meeting with the ICTY president Fausto Pocar.

“Stankovic remains at large and the authorities have yet to produce a thorough report identifying those who aided Stankovic’s flight, hold accountable those responsible, or take measures to tighten up security in prisons”,Gregorian said.

Serbian war criminal Radovan Stankovic was convicted by the Bosnian State Court of rape and crimes against humanity committed in the eastern Bosnian town of Foca in 1992,during the Serbian aggression against Bosnia.He was the first ICTY indictee whose case was transferred to a national court as part of the Tribunal's completion strategy.

“Stankovic is a convicted rapist and torturer, and is a danger to society wherever he is.He has expressed no remorse for his crimes and there is a real danger that he may strike again”,said Gregorian.

Serbian war criminal Radovan Stankovic's escape has highlighted several shortcomings in the Bosnian penal system. The High Representative toughened up the state level prison regime in the aftermath of the Stankovic prison break last year; prisoners convicted for war crimes under State law may no longer be granted weekend leave nor may they leave prison premises without proper supervision.

Pocar and Gregorian agreed that the International Community must be sure that war criminals, once tried and convicted, are properly imprisoned. Pocar reported that the ICTY is concerned about where and under what conditions the convicted war criminals will serve their sentences in Bosnia.
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