Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic welcomed the verdict delivered on Wednesday by the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (IRMCT) in The Hague, which sentenced former Serbian intelligence officials Jovica Stanisic and Franko Simatovic to 12 years in prison for aiding and abetting the war crimes committed in Bosnia and Croatia between 1992 and 1995.
The court sentenced Simatovic and Stanisic due to their role in war crimes committed in the northern Croatian town of Bosanski Samac, stating in the judgement that there is no sufficient evidence implicating them in any other crime.
“We think that Stanisic and Simatovic were among the key persons in pursuing a Great Serbia policy and launching aggression against Croatia and Bosnia, and that they took part in the most horrific crimes such as those that took place in Vukovar, Skabrnja, and Srebrenica,” Plenkovic said, adding that he has not had the opportunity to completely study the verdict yet.
READ MORE
We believe that the court will take into account their role in other crimes in an adequate way in the appeals proceedings, Plenkovic said. “Croatia cannot be satisfied, given the role they played in the 1990s.”
Croatia’s Justice Ministry issued a press release on Wednesday, also saying they were not satisfied because the verdict “does not reflect the war events and the real roles Stanisic and Simatovic played during the aggression” against Croatia and Bosnia.
The Ministry echoed the PM’s hope that the Appeals Chamber would amend the verdict and convict the two of all crimes that were committed in the territory of Croatia and Bosnia which the prosecution charges them with because they “undoubtedly deserve the harshest possible sentence”.
Kakvo je tvoje mišljenje o ovome?
Budi prvi koji će ostaviti komentar!