Osman Osmanovic

The Belgrade-based Humanitarian Law Centre on Monday criticised the Belgrade Court of Appeals' decision to reduce former police inspector Osman Osmanovic's war crimes sentence for prisoner abuse from five to three-and-a-half years in prison.

Prosecutor Dusan Knezevic on Thursday asked Belgrade Higher Court to hand down a six-year prison sentence to Osman Osmanovic, who is accused of abusing civilians and prisoners of war at the Rasadnik camp in Gornji Rahic in Bosnia and Herzegovina's Brcko area during the summer of 1992.

A defence witness told the war crime trial of wartime fighter Osman Osmanovic at Belgrade Higher Court on Monday that he was held at the jail where the defendant allegedly assaulted prisoners in the Brcko area of Bosnia and Herzegovina but did not see any prisoners being beaten or tortured while he was there.

The trial of former soldier Osman Osmanovic opened at Belgrade Higher Court on Monday with the defendant pleading not guilty to charges of abusing civilians and prisoners of war held at the Rasadnik camp in Gornji Rahic in Bosnia and Herzegovina's Brcko area during the summer of 1992.

The Serbian War Crimes Prosecution told BIRN that it has charged Osman Osmanovic with committing war crimes against civilians and prisoners of war at the Rasadnik camp in Gornji Rahic in Bosnia and Herzegovina's Brcko area during the summer of 1992.

The indictment was issued on Friday and has yet to be confirmed by a court.

The Higher Court in Belgrade has refused to extradite Osman Osmanovic, who is wanted for war crimes - and is in custody in Serbia - to Bosnia and Herzegovina, it is confirmed to BIRN on Friday. This decision can be appealed.

Former fighter Osman Osmanovic, who was detained at the Serbian border on November 23 and remanded in custody for a month, should be sent to Bosnia and Herzegovina to face charges, his lawyer Mirsad Crnovrsanin told BIRN on Wednesday.