Presenting the news about two members of the then Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina (RBiH) who were convicted of war crimes against Sarajevo civilians of Serb ethnicity, BHT1 channel presenter said Friday they were members of the “so-called” Army of the RBiH.

Following the incident, the management of the BiH national Radio and Television (BHRT) responded by saying that “there was an incorrect and inadmissible characterization of the Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina as ‘so-called'”.

“Given that this is a serious professional omission and a serious threat to the interests of the BHRT, the BHRT General Manager Belmin Karamehmedovic ordered the director of BHT1 Mario Vrankic to urgently determine the editorial responsibility for this matter and to punish the responsible employees in accordance with the internal acts of the BHRT,” they said.

They pointed out that the BHRT will not tolerate the arbitrariness of individuals violating the BHRT's editorial guidelines.
The Association of Genocide Victims and Witnesses also reacted, calling on BHRT to publicly apologize.

“The Army of the RBiH is not a ‘so-called’ army but a regular formation of the internationally recognized Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina. This is confirmed by the 2006 decision on the formation of the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which defines the existence of three military regiments, one of each inheriting the tradition of military formations from the armed forces of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina entity and the Republika Srpska entity. One of the said regiments inherits the tradition of the Army of the RBiH. Any non-compliance with the said decision is a violation of the Law,” they noted.

Senad Dzananovic and Edin Gadza were sentenced to 11 and five years in prison for war crimes in the Sarajevo settlement of Alipasino Polje.

According to the Court of BiH, the two are accused of knowingly and willingly participating in the illegal detention of Serb civilians, as members of the Territorial Defence Staff “Stella” and the Special Unit of the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Serb civilians were treated inhumanely and taken to forced labour, during which they were exposed to mortal danger and various forms of physical and psychological abuse.

As this is only the first instance verdict, the two have the right to an appeal, as does the Prosecution.