Despite the prosecution's request for the suspects to remain in custody, the Bosnian State Court ordered the release of former Bosnian Army commander Atif Dudakovic and his 12 co-defendants.

The suspects will be released but placed under restrictive measures, Nihada Buturovic, one of the lawyers told N1.

Bosnian authorities arrested former Bosnian Army general Atif Dudakovic and 12 other members of his Fifth Corps on Friday. They stand accused of war crimes, committed between 1994 and 1995, and related to the alleged killing of hundreds of captured Bosnian Serb soldiers from the area of Western Krajina and Bosniak civilians who supported the Autonomous Province of West Bosnia during 1994 – a structure that was run by Bosniaks who rebelled against the Sarajevo government.

Prosecutors had asked for the suspects to remain in custody because they could influence the witnesses if they are released.

The defence team, however, was surprised by the Court’s decision to hold the hearing so soon after the prosecution placed the request.

One of the lawyers, Fahrija Karkin, said there was not enough time to prepare for the hearing. He said he received CDs with 7,500 pages and that technically it was impossible to read the material ahead of the hearing.