02 July 2009
The Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina sentences Damir Ivankovic to 14 years for the murder of around 200 civilians at Koricanske stijene.
Damir Ivankovic, a former member of the special response team of the police from Prijedor, was sentenced to 14 years in prison for participation in the murder of around 200 civilians at Koricanske stijene on August 21, 1992.
The Court decided to release Ivankovic from custody, with a series of restrictive measures.
“This verdict does not contribute only to establishing the truth, but also to reconciliation in the region, which the Trial Chamber believes in. Some may find this punishment mild or harsh, but the Chamber believes it is appropriate and that it will serve the purpose of punishment,” explained Presiding Judge Minka Kreho.
On June 22, 2009, Ivankovic made a plea bargain with the Prosecution over his role in the murder of around 200 civilians at Koricanske stijene.
The Chamber found him guilty of participating in a joint criminal venture of civilian and military authorities of Prijedor Municipality and structures of the Serbian Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, aimed at expelling the Bosniak and Croat population from the area. Ivankovic was sentenced for a crime against humanity according to individual criminal responsibility.
While reading the verdict, Judge Kreho read the names of some of the victims murdered at Koricanske stijene, emphasising that mortal remains of only four persons have been found, along with body parts of several murdered men.
“The Chamber decided that the Prosecution presented sufficient evidence of Ivankovic’s guilt. In the territory of Prijedor, a broad and systematic attack was carried out, and the target of the attack was the civilian population. All the persons killed at Koricanske stijene were civilians, a fact that was confirmed by many witnesses and by the defendant himself in his testimony,” said Kreho.
In addition to Ivankovic, the same Prosecution indictment charges Zoran Babic, Gordan Djuric, Milorad Radakovic, Milorad Skrbic, Ljubisa Cetic, Dusan Jankovic and Zeljko Stojnic, former members of the Prijedor police station and special response team of the then police.
After making a plea bargain with the Prosecution, Ivankovic testified against the rest of the defendants and spoke in great detail about the participation of the members of the response team and police station in the crime at Koricanske stijene, and his own involvement in the murders.
After Ivankovic’s testimony, the third defendant, Djuric, also admitted his involvement in the murder of civilians at Koricanske stijene. With the plea bargain, Djuric undertook to testify on July 7 against the rest of the defendants, after which the Chamber will pass a verdict in his case.
The Chamber assessed that the “honest admission of guilt and considerable cooperation” of Ivankovic with the Prosecution and the International Criminal Court for the Former Yugoslavia represents, among other things, extenuating circumstances for the defendant. While passing sentence, the Chamber did not find any aggravating circumstances.
Under the Chamber’s decision, on a proposal from Ivankovic and with the Prosecution’s consent, the defendant was released, but with a series of restrictive measures and duties.
Ivankovic is forbidden to leave his place of residence and change his address without the approval of the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina. He is obliged to report every day to the police station in Prijedor, and he is banned from contacting possible accomplices and co-conspirators in the crime, as well as witnesses and victims.
He is also forbidden from contacting anyone other than his defence attorney, or attending public and private gatherings. By the decision of the Court, Ivankovic is temporarily relieved of his passport and other documents and is forbidden from using other documents in order to cross the border.
Ivankovic has been held in custody since January 14, 2009.
Balkan Investigative Reporting Network