OTP spokesperson Florence Hartmann notes that the last ICTY indictment does not spell the end for the prosecution of war criminals, because local judiciaries will take over


The fact that the OTP published its last indictment yesterday “should not be the cause for celebration for those who hope they will go unpunished, since the local judiciaries in BH, Croatia and SCG will continue to prosecute war criminals,” said Florence Hartmann, OTP spokesperson, at a press conference today.

She expressed her hope that the surrender of the accused would continue at the present pace. Of the eleven people indicted in the last batch of indictments issued by the ICTY, nine surrendered voluntarily to the ICTY in the past weeks, including Johan Tarcovski who arrived in the UN Detention Unit today. The arrival of his co-accused Ljubo Boskoski is expected after the completion of the legal procedure in Croatia, where he is currently in detention. The only transfer that remains uncertain is that of General Zdravko Tolimir, former member of the VRS Main Staff, charged with the crimes in Srebrenica in 1995.

As regards the earlier indictments and the accused who are still at large, it has been announced that Drago Nikolic (former security officer in the VRS Zvornik Brigade, charged with the crimes in Srebrenica) would surrender to the ICTY tomorrow. This means that a total of 16 accused will remain at large, Hartmann said and added: “Most of them are in Serbia and Montenegro. We expect that they will be transferred to The Hague soon – either through voluntary surrender or arrest”.

Sharing