After seven years of trial, the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina handed down a first-instance verdict in which seven former members of the Army of the Republika Srpska (VRS) were sentenced to a total of 91 years in prison for their participation in the kidnapping of 20 civilians from a train in Strpci on February 27, 1993, who were killed in the Visegrad area. Luka Dragicevic was acquitted by the same verdict of issuing the order to take the civilians hostage.

Obrad and Novak Poluga, Petko Indjic, Radojica Ristic, Dragan Sekaric, Oliver Krsmanovic and Miodrag Mitrasinovic were each sentenced to 13 years in prison because they participated as co-perpetrators in the murder of 20 civilians who were taken from a train travelling on the Belgrade-Bar line. With this verdict, Luka Dragicevic was acquitted of the charge that, as the commander of the Second Podrinje Brigade from Visegrad, he gave the order to take civilians hostages.

By Court decision, Obrad and Novak Poluga, Indjic, Ristic and Mitrasinovic were ordered to be detained for a maximum of nine months, and Luka Dragicevic was released.

on Thursday, the State Prosecutor's Office confirmed the arrest of the accused in order to ensure their presence at the verdict, and requested an extension of detention in case of a guilty verdict.

Mico Jovicic, accused of participating in the kidnapping and murder of passengers from the train in Strpci in 1993, reached a plea agreement with the BiH Prosecutor's Office.

The indictment, in this case, was filed in May, and the trial began in October 2015.

This verdict is only the first instance and it can be appealed against.