Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Presidency member Mladen Ivanic said he hopes the Former Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina Army Commander Atif Dudakovic’s arrest will finally serve justice to the victims and that the Prosecution will be well preprepared for this case.

Ivanic welcomed the operation by the State Prosecution and the State Investigation and Protection Agency (SIPA) during which Dudakovic along with 11 other suspects were arrested on suspicion of alleged war crimes in 1994 and 1995.

Dudakovic was the Commander of the Fifth Corps of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Army, during the war in Bosnia 1992-1995.

“I am glad that the State Prosecution started dealing with cases of involvement of the former Bosniak generals in war crimes since the victims and their descendants have been waiting for justice in this case for more than 22 years,” Ivanic stressed.

According to him, this case is a huge test for the judiciary in Bosnia “and now they bear a huge responsibility.”

“I know that the Republika Srpska entity submitted irrefutable evidence, with more than 8,000 pages, and I expect this to be used in the case. I want to believe that the Bosnian judiciary will pass this test and that all who committed crimes in Bosnia, will answer for them,” Ivanic said.

The State Prosecution said that they arrested Atif Dudakovic and 11 others. They added that the arrested persons were all former commanders and members of the Fifth Corps of the RBiH Army, who were suspected of alleged war crimes during 1994 and 1995.

The war crimes that are subject of the investigation are related to the killing of hundreds of victims, civilians and captured Bosnian Serb soldiers from the area of the West-Krajina during 1995, as well as war crimes against the civilian population of Bosniak nationality, who were members of the Autonomous Province West Bosnia during 1994.