prijava
SARAJEVO, July 12 (FENA) - Five former Bosnian Serb military policemen were sentenced to a total of 82 years in prison for their role in the killings of 28 Bosniak civilians on Mount Borje near Teslić in 1992.
The Bosnian state court on Thursday convicted Dragan Marjanović, Saša Gavranović, Vitomir Dević, Zoran Šljuka and Dragomir Kezunović of taking 28 Bosniak civilians from the Teslić police station and Pribinić prison on the night between June 17 and 18, 1992 to Mount Borje, where they were all killed.
The court sentenced Marjanović, Gavranović, Dević and Šljuka to 17 years in prison each, and Kezunović to 14 years in prison, BIRN reports.
According to the charges, Marjanović was the commander of a platoon of the Bosnian Serb Army Teslić Brigade’s military police, while the other defendants were all members of the platoon.
They were all found guilty of crimes against humanity.
The court found that Marjanović knew about the order from his superiors to kill the civilians, and had his military policemen commit the crime and participate in efforts to hide the bodies in a pre-prepared pit.
The ruling said that there was sufficient evidence to find that Gavranovic, Dević and Šljuka participated in the killings personally, but although it was unclear whether Kezunović killed anyone, he “assisted the killings”.
Presiding judge Vesna Jesenković said that the defendants did not orchestrate the crime, but without their assistance, it would not have been committed.
“If it were not for the defendants’ participation, those who had come up with the plan to commit the killings would have been left alone in their intentions,” said Jesenković.
The verdict can be appealed.
(FENA) S. R.
