INDICTMENT ISSUED AGAINST SEVEN PERSONS FOR WAR CRIMES COMMITTED IN KOTOR VAROŠ AREA

A Prosecutor of the Special Department for War Crimes has issued an Indictment against the following persons:
- Savo Tepić, born on 25 January 1958 in Kotor Varoš,
- Dragoslav Bojić, born on 15 January 1944 in Kneževo,
- Duško Vujičić, born on 09 March 1970 in Čelinac,
- Duško Maksimović, born on 01 December 1961 in Kotor Varoš,
- Radojko Keverović, born on 24 April 1959 in Kneževo,
- Rade Škorić, born on 04 December 1946 in Kotor Varoš,
- Ilija Kurušić, born on 30 July 1972 in Kotor Varoš.

In 31 counts of the Indictment, these accused persons have been charged with participation in a widespread and systematic attack directed against Bosniak and Croat civilians in the territory of Kotor Varoš and neighbouring places, from May 1992 and until the end of 1992, as members of active and reserve forces and command structures of the Kotor Varoš Public Security Station and as members of the RS Army.     

They are charged with the persecution of Bosniak and Croat population from the territory of Kotor Varoš and neighbouring villages, by murders, imprisonment, torture, enforced disappearances of persons and other inhumane acts perpetrated for the purpose of inflicting physical and mental suffering; thus, they committed the criminal offense of Crimes against Humanity, as referred to in Article 172 of the Criminal Code of BiH.

The Indictment alleges that, armed, these accused persons raided the houses of Bosniak and Croat civilians and illegally detained around 100 persons in several facilities, where they tortured, mistreated and beat the prisoners and took them to forced labor and tortured them in an extremely humiliating manner. 

The aforementioned accused persons are responsible for killings and enforced disappearances of more than 10 persons who were taken away and are unaccounted for, whereas mortal remains of some victims have not been found yet.

This case falls within the Category II cases, which means that the case involves high-ranking officials within army, police or political structures, against whom an investigation had been initiated at the ICTY Office of the Prosecutor in the Hague and then the case was transferred to the Prosecutor’s Office of BiH for prosecution. 

The Indictment and its extensive evidentiary material have been forwarded to the Court of BiH for confirmation.