BOSNIAN STATE COURT CONVICTS SEVEN SERBIAN WAR CRIMINALS OF GENOCIDE

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (July 30,2008) - The Bosnian State Court announced yesterday the first instance verdicts in the cases of former members of the genocidal Serbian fascist aggressor's formations,Serbian war criminals Milos Stupar, Milenko Trifunovic, Petar Mitrovic, Brane Dzinic, Aleksandar Radovanovic, Slobodan Jakovljevic, Miladin Stevanovic, Velibor Maksimovic, Dragisa Zivanovic, Branislav Medan and Milovan Matic who were charged with having participated in the capture and mass murder of some 10,000 Bosnian civilians from the eastern Bosnian town of Srebrenica, and with personal participation in the mass murder of more than 1,000 Bosnian civilians in the eastern Bosnian village of Kravice on the evening of July 13, 1995.

These are the first verdicts from the Bosnian State Court involving Genocide charges in connection with events in Srebrenica in July 1995,during the 1992-1995 Serbian aggression against Bosnia.

Seven (7) Serbian war criminals were convicted for the criminal offense of Genocide pursuant to Article 171 of the CC of Bosnia. The Bosnian State Court sentenced Serbian war criminals Milenko Trifunović, Brano Džinić, and Aleksandar Radovanović to forty-two (42) years long-term imprisonment, Serbian war criminal Miloš Stupar, Slobodan Jakovljević, and Branislav Medan to forty (40) years long-term imprisonment, and Serbian war criminal Petar Mitrović to thirty-eight (38) years long-term imprisonment. All 7 Serbian war criminals were convicted for their participation in the mass murder of more than 1000 Bosnian civilians in the warehouse of the Farming Cooperative Kravice on 13 July 1995 as members of the genocidal Serbian fascist aggressor's formations.

The Panel found that several thousand Bosnian civilians were detained at the Sandići meadow in the morning and afternoon of 13 July. Many of these Bosnian civilians were induced by the genocidal Serbian fascist aggressor to surrender by deception, and were told they would be safe and taken to territory under control of the Bosnian Army.

At least one thousand of these Bosnian civilians were then transported by bus or marched in a column to the warehouse of the Farming Cooperative Kravice, where they were further detained. Beginning in the early evening,the genocidal Serbian fascist aggressor mass murdered these 1,000 Bosnian civilians in the warehouse by small arms fire, machine gun fire and the use of hand grenades.

The Panel also found that Serbian war criminals Milenko Trifunović and Aleksandar Radovanović were in front of the warehouse shooting at the Bosnian civilians, whilst Serbian war criminal Brano Džinić was throwing hand grenades at them.

Serbian war criminals Slobodan Jakovljević, Branislav Medan, and Petar Mitrović, acted as armed guards at the rear of the warehouse in order to prevent the detained Bosnian civilians from escaping the ongoing killings through the windows at the rear of the warehouse. It is also found that Serbian war criminal Petar Mitrović fired from his automatic rifle at the detained Bosnian civilians as well. The Panel concluded that these Serbian war criminals perpetrated these acts with the genocidal intent, that is, with the aim to destroy in part a group of Bosnian people. These six Serbian war criminals were accordingly found guilty as co-perpetrators in the commission of the criminal offense of Genocide.

In addition, the Panel found that the Serbian war criminal Miloš Stupar knew of the criminal acts of his subordinates, and that he failed to take measures to punish them, having the genocidal intent as well. Serbian war criminal Miloš Stupar was accordingly also convicted of the crime of Genocide on the basis of command responsibility.

Four (4) Accused, Velibor Maksimović, Dragiša Živanović, Milovan Matić, and Miladin Stevanović, were acquitted of all charges. The Panel concluded that the Bosnian State Prosecutor failed to present sufficient legal evidence to prove beyond doubt that these Accused participated in committing the offense of genocide, crimes against humanity or war crimes,and they were released from custody,whilst custody against Milovan Matić was cancelled previously during the main trial.

The custody against the convicted Serbian war criminals Miloš Stupar, Milenko Trifunović, Brano Džinić, Aleksandar Radovanović, Slobodan Jakovljević, Branislav Medan, and Petar Mitrović was extended and the time that they have spent in custody will be credited towards their sentence.
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SERBIAN WAR CRIMINAL RADOVAN KARADZIC TAKEN TO THE HAGUE TO FACE GENOCIDE CHARGES

THE HAGUE, The Netherlands (July 30,2008) - Serbian war criminal Radovan Karadzic was taken to a prison cell in The Hague today to face trial at a U.N war crimes tribunal on charges of genocide committed during the 1992-95 Serbian aggression against Bosnia.

Serbian war criminal Radovan Karadzic, arrested last week, was flown out of the genocidal Serbia by plane at night under tight security. Shortly after dawn, he was whisked from Rotterdam airport to the Scheveningen detention centre near The Hague.

He will appear before the tribunal for the first time at 4 p.m. (10 a.m. EDT) tomorrow, and will be asked to enter a plea to the charges against him, the court said.

Prosecutor Serge Brammertz told reporters at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia that the trial was likely to begin in a few months.

Brammertz said he was confident Serbian war criminal Radovan Karadzic's trial would be efficient and successful, but noted two fugitives were still on the run after the Balkan wars of the 1990s. They include the Bosnian Serb wartime commander, General Ratko Mladic.

Karadzic's delivery to The Hague was key to the genocidal Serbia securing closer ties with the European Union.His arrival at The Hague is expected by the Serbian fascist government to defuse tension in Belgrade over his arrest and unlock EU trade benefits.


Serbian war criminal Radovan Karadzic faces two charges of genocide over the 43-month siege of the Bosnian capital Sarajevo and the 1995 mass murder of some 10,000 Bosnian civilians in the eastern Bosnian town of Srebrenica, the worst atrocity in Europe since World War Two.

His lawyer in Belgrade has said Karadzic, 63, believes he will be cleared of genocide and will defend himself.

He will receive a medical examination and meet legal ) and be assigned an en suite cell, identical to that occupied by Serbian war criminal Slobodan Milosevic.

Serbian war criminal Slobodan Milosevic spent his last five years at the centre and was found dead in his 15-square- meter cell due to heart failure, which Brammertz's predecessor described as a "total defeat."

Asked whether Karadzic's trial would draw on the lessons of the Milosevic trial, which lasted four years, Brammertz said: "We are fully aware of the importance of efficiency."

Serbian war criminal Radovan Karadzic was arrested after 13 years on the run. He was most recently living under an assumed name, had grown a flowing beard and long-hair, and was working as "an alternative healer".

Yesterday, some 10,000 Serbian fascists showed their support for Serbian war criminal Radovan Karadzic in the capital of the genocidal Serbia - Belgrade, chanting his name and holding up giant banners with his picture.
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10,000 SERBIAN FASCISTS TRIED TO BLOCK HANDOVER OF SERBIAN WAR CRIMINAL RADOVAN KARADZIC TO ICTY

BELGRADE, Serbia (July 30,2008) - Some 10,000 Serbian fascists participated in a rally yesterday,in the capital of the genocidal Serbia - Belgrade,in support of one of the masterminds of the genocide against Bosnians,committed during the 1992-1995 Serbian aggression against Bosnia,Serbian war criminal Radovan Karadzic.

Thousands of Serbian fascists had converged on Belgrade yesterday from all over the genocidal Serbia in an attempt to try to block the handover of Serbian war criminal Radovan Karadzic to the war crimes tribunal at The Hague.

Serbian war criminal Radovan Karadzic,who was captured last week after 13 years on the run from justice, has been charged by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) with genocide, extermination, murder, deportation, inhumane acts, and other crimes against Bosnian civilians.

Police fired tear gas and rubber bullets at the Serbian fascists, who were smashing shop windows and throwing stones and flaming bottles at the police.

With tension in Belgrade at its highest since Serbian fascists attacked the US embassy in February after Kosovo's secession.

But while the US embassy had predicted up to 100,000 Serbian fascists would take part in the pro-Karadzic protests, the turnout last night was much lower than expected.
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LAJCAK CONTINUES BILATERAL MEETINGS WITH BOSNIA'S POLITICAL LEADERS

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (July 30,2008) - The International Community's High Representative and EU Special Representative in Bosnia Miroslav Lajcak met in the Bosnian capital Sarajevo with the Bosnian President Haris Silajdzic.During the meeting was discussed a series of outstanding issues which need to be solved so that Bosnia could move further forward on its path to meeting obligations from the Stabilization and Association Agreement but also to meeting objectives and requirements for the transition of the transition of the Office of the Internationa Community's High Representative in Bosnia (OHR) into the Office of the EU Special Representative (EUSR).Therefore it is necessary to invest additional efforts at political level concerning the remaining unsettled objectives and requirements.

They also discussed an idea to have a joint meeting of all Bosnia's political leaders which was supported last week by the SDA Party President, Sulejman Tihic. Lajcak expressed his expectations that Bosnia's leaders would show their willingness to find an acceptable solution for the issue of state and defence properties as well as the legal status of the Brcko District.

“The state must have its property in order to be able to meet its constitutional competencies”, and on the other hand the Brcko District must be lawfully protected as to have the Arbitration Award implemented, Lajcak confirmed.

The Bosnian constitutional changes were also discussed and there is an agreement that the talks should start immediately after the October elections. If there is willingness in the country, but also within the International Community, that the issue of the Bosnian constitutional changes could not be delayed any longer then it was necessary to make serious preparations, they concluded.

As for the recent arrest of one of the masterminds of the genocide against Bosnians,committed during the 1992-1995 Serbian aggression against Bosnia,Serbian war criminal Radovan Karadzic, Lajcak and Silajdzic stressed the need for further cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in the region.

Serbian war criminal Radovan Karadzic has been charged by the ICTY with genocide, extermination, murder, deportation, inhumane acts, and other crimes against Bosnian civilians.
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BOSNIAN GOVERNMENT ADOPTS ACTION PLANS ON IMPLEMENTATION OF SAA

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (July 30,2008) - The Bosnian government has adopted on the session yesterday in Sarajevo the Action Plan of the implementation of the regulations of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) between Bosnia and the EU.

The Action Plan contains the obligations that are outcome from the certain regulations of the SAA, deadlines for their implementation, the description of the condition and the measures to be taken, as well as the institutions on charge for their implementation.

The Bosnian government has also adopted the Action Plan for the fulfillment of the obligations from EU's "Road Map" for liberalization of the visa regime for the Bosnian citizens, whose promoter is the Interdepartmental Working Group for negotiations on liberalization of the visa regime.

By this Action Plan, Bosnia has made commitment to deliver the report on preparedness to the Europeam Commission (EC) till September 1st, after which the EC will assess the report and give the detailed guidelines to the necessary activities in all of the demands to the Bosnian side.

The Action Plan will be changed and revised in accordance to the demands and guidelines that Bosnia will get from the Eurpean Commission during the dialogue.
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KOMSIC AND SCHMIDT DISCUSSED POLITICAL SITUATION IN BOSNIA

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (July 30,2008) - A member of the Bosnian State Presidency Željko Komšić met with the German Ambassador to Bosnia, Joachim Schmidt.They discussed political situation in Bosnia, its path towards the EU membership and situation in the region.

On this occasion, Komšić once again thanked Germany for its support to Bosnia as well as for participation of the German soldiers within peacekeeping missions in Bosnia. He expressed belief that the trend of extremely good and friendly relations between the two countries would continue.

Ambassador Schmidt said Germany would continue to support Bosnia and its further development, especially its path towards the EU membership. He expressed belief that the role of international community in Bosnia, during his mandate, would be visibly reduced.

Komšić and Schmidt concluded that political relations between Bosnia and Germany are extremely good and friendly but that cooperation in economic segment should improve, as it was stated by the Cabinet of Bosnian Presidency Member Željko Komšić.
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GENOCIDAL SERBIA STEALS 2 BILLION EUROS FROM BOSNIA

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (July 30,2008) - Bosnian companies Sipad Komerc, Energoinvest and Agrokomerc again appealed to the fascist government of the genocidal Serbia to stop selling their property and stop breaching the international agreement on the issues of Yugoslav succession since the genocidal Serbia is one of the signatories.

According to preliminary data, value of this property is between 1.8 and 2 billion Euros and first sale was completed on June 26 when they sold 15 facilities via auction.

However, additional problem appears since the genocidal Serbia plans to sell another 40 premises belonging to Bosnia in September.Bosnian companies have about 150 business premises on the territory of the genocidal Serbia.

”With this act, Serbia performs nationalization of Bosnia's property and assets from this property cannot be placed into the succession fund. This is clear violation of the international law and if the process is not stopped, Council of Europe should get involved as well as ambassadors of international community in Bosnia and all other relevant authorities”, stated Duljko Hasic of the Bosnian Foreign Trade Chamber.

Hasic added that Sipad, Energoinvest and Agrokomerc and many other Bosnian companies which have property in the genocidal Serbia wanted to develop business relations there, but that doors are closed for them regardless of numerous economic agreements signed between the two countries and reminded that Bosnia returned all the genocidal Serbia's property in Bosnia.

Energoinvest asks for their two large facilities in Belgrade and Novi Sad to be returned along with numerous facilities in Croatia among which 24 gas stations and oil terminals.

Sipad has about 60% of its property in the genocidal Serbia and Agrokomerc wants to return their 16 facilities.
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