Several thousand people gathered in western Bosnia's town Bihac on Monday, in support to wartime Bosnian Army Commander Atif Dudakovic, who was arrested the last week on war crime suspicions.
Dudakovic was arrested together with his 12 co-defendants on suspicion of war crimes, committed between 1994 and 1995, and related to the alleged killing of hundreds of captured Serb soldiers from the area of western Krajina region and Bosniak civilians who supported the Autonomous Province of West Bosnia during 1994 – a structure run by Bosniaks who rebelled against the Sarajevo government.
“We are sending out a message that our general is one hundred percent innocent. This proves that his comrades in arms stand with him – they are now like they were in the war,” said one of the veterans.
Despite the prosecution's request for the suspects to remain in custody, the Bosnian State Court ordered on Sunday the release of Dudakovic and his 12 co-defendants.
The protest was attended by the Mayor of Bihac Suhret Fazlic, the first Commander of the Bosnian Army's Fifth Corps Ramiz Drekovic and the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina's, entity Minister for Veterans’ Issues Salko Bukvarevic, who voiced support for the arrested general.
“Bihac is the city that was under the siege for 1,200 days. We wanted to say in this way that we are not war criminals and that we stand with our generals,” said Mayor Fazlic.
Meanwhile, Bosnian Serbs’ representatives assessed the release of Dudakovic and others as “catastrophic” and expressed concern over, as they said, pressures and influence on Bosnian judiciary.
VEZANE VIJESTI
Minister Bukvarevic also addressed the gathering in Bihac, saying that he was there to support “one of the best generals and their colleagues.”
“I am convinced they will be proven innocent. They defended the state of Bosnia, they belonged to one legitimate force, the Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina. There is no need for someone to arrest and apprehend the most honourable men of the state of Bosnia in this way.” said the minister.
Drekovic emphasized that “everyone is innocent until proven guilty”, and that he trusted to the justice institutions.
The gathering which lasted for about two hours was organized by the association of veterans in cooperation with the municipal authorities.
