REGIONAL CONFERENCE OF PROSECUTORS ON COOPERATION IN WAR CRIMES CASES TAKES PLACE IN SARAJEVO

The conference is attended by prosecutors from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Croatia, Montenegro and the IRMCT, and the European Commission to Bosnia and Herzegovina and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) provide support to its operation.

Milanko Kajganić, Chief Prosecutor of the Prosecutor’s Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina, opened the conference attended by more than 60 participants from the countries of the region, who will discuss cooperation in the prosecution of war crimes cases. He pointed out that the Prosecutor’s Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina, have the respective roles of continuing the work and activities started at the Hague Tribunal, in which they need support from the European Union, the international community, the Ministry of Justice of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the HJPC of Bosnia and Herzegovina and partner prosecutor’s offices and courts in Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as cooperation with partner prosecution institutions in the region.

The Head of EU Delegation to BiH, H.E. Johann Sattler, also addressed the participants of the conference and pointed out the following in his speech:

-       Regional cooperation is key to ensure that there is no impunity for the horrific war crimes committed and that justice can be brought to victims and their families. A large number of individuals indicted in Bosnia and Herzegovina for war crimes and holding multiple citizenships are escaping justice. To address this regional problem, the EU has been advocating for a more systematic use of the protocols on cooperation in prosecution of perpetrators of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide signed in 2013 and 2014 between the Prosecutor’s Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina and its counterparts from Croatia, Serbia and Montenegro –

Serge Brammertz, IRMCT Chief Prosecutor, also spoke about the importance of regional cooperation and emphasised the importance of joint work in the fight against impunity for war crimes.

The prosecutors from the region discussed the cooperation achieved so far, the difficulties they encountered, as well as proposals for solving and overcoming these problems. They also discussed the assistance provided by the IRMCT in connection with obtaining evidence used in the proceedings in The Hague, as well as cooperation and data exchange in the process of searching for and identifying missing persons.

The segment of regional cooperation in the fight against impunity for war crimes is extremely important, because there are hundreds of suspects in the region who are hiding from justice in some of the countries of the region, and searches and arrest warrants are also in force for a large number of suspects.

Considering that most of the cases relate to war crimes committed in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the judiciary of Bosnia and Herzegovina is interested in regional cooperation to prevent the possibility of escape from court proceedings and enable the strengthening of the rule of law.

The regional conference is held with the support of the European Commission and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).

Conclusions of the Regional Conference of Prosecutorson Cooperation and Prosecution of War Crimes