Victims’ associations condemn acquittal of Bosnian Serb general Milenko Zivanovic

In the statement, the organisations say the Court delivered its ruling in a “record time of just four years,” acquitting Zivanovic of war crimes committed in Srebrenica, despite what they describe as “overwhelming evidence, including documents provided by the Hague Tribunal.”

“Serbia has once again shown that no rules or standards apply to it, only the continued humiliation of victims in Bosnia and Herzegovina and of the Bosnian state itself,” the statement reads.

The groups point out that while many other war crimes cases, including those involving members of the RS special police, have dragged on for years in Serbian courts, Zivanovic’s case progressed unusually swiftly to a first-instance verdict.

They emphasise that this is yet another acquittal of a high-ranking officer of the Army of Republika Srpska, despite what they describe as his clear command responsibility for “monstrous crimes in Srebrenica.”

The statement expresses hope that Bosnia’s judiciary will not abandon its own indictment against Zivanovic, which, the groups note, differs legally and formally from the one brought by Serbia’s prosecution.

They also call on relevant institutions to continue pursuing all war crimes suspects who, according to the statement, have found refuge in Serbia, a country the International Court of Justice has already labelled as an aggressor in Bosnia and Herzegovina.