Bosnian War Crime Cases Halted as Ageing Defendants Die

"The court does not work slowly. It acts on all indictments filed by the Prosecution of Bosnia and Herzegovina without delay and has the capacity to process them. However, the indictment filing dynamics and timing comes under the exclusive responsibility of the Bosnian state prosecution," the state court said.

The prosecution insisted meanwhile that it works according to the official state strategy for processing war crimes cases, and that suspects' deaths of illnesses are beyond its control.

'Justice came too late'

Milan Bogdanovic. Photo: BIRN.

The last defendant who died was Milan Bogdanovic, who was acquitted under a first-instance verdict in March 2019. Because of his death, an appeal against his acquittal is now impossible.

Cases closed: the deceased defendants

The following suspects died over the past five years before a final verdict in their cases. They are listed with the location of their alleged crimes.

Milan Bogdanovic: Zvornik

Jovan Popovic: Visegrad

Izet Arifovic: Srebrenica and Bratunac

Mirko Raguz, Ivica Markovic: Stolac

Cvjetko Popadic, Radivoje Djordjic: Lokanj

Vinko Kondic, Mico Prastalo: Kljuc

Dragomir Tintor, Zdravko Antonic: Prijedor

Gvozden Lukic: Vlasenica and Milici

Nedjad Coric: Mostar

Ostoja Balaban: Bosanski Novi

Vlado Stjepanovic: Bijeljina

Dragan Lubarda: Rogatica

Fahrudin Hadziosmanagic-Tadic: Bosanska Krupa

Aleksandar Petrovic: Kotor Varos

Fahrudin Alic: Sarajevo

Novak Mitrovic: Zavidovici

Bogdanovic had been accused, as former commander of the Sixth Company of Special Police Units at the Public Security Station in Zvornik, of being responsible for capturing...