The appeals chamber of the Bosnian state court reduced sentences against Sreten Lazarevic, Dragan Stanojevic and Slobodan Ostojic, who were found guilty of war crimes in Zvornik. The sentence was reduced based on the criminal code of the former Yugoslavia, which provides more favourable sentencing for perpetrators.
The appeals chamber of the Bosnian state court will hand down its verdict in the case of Sreten Lazarevic, Dragan Stanojevic and Slobodan Ostojic on June 9.
Defence attorneys of convicts sentenced for genocide and war crimes before the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina announce that proceedings will be renewed in many more cases due to the wrong application of the Criminal Code.
The evidentiary phase of the retrial of four defendants charged with the beatings of detainees at two camps in Zvornik concluded with a video review of the original testimony of Mustafa Halilovic.
Seven people awaiting the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina to pronounce second instance verdicts in cases that have been brought against them are currently at liberty. They were sentenced, by first instance verdicts, to between five and 14 years in prison for war crimes.
The Appellate Chamber overturns the conviction in the verdict against Sreten Lazarevic, Dragan Stanojevic, Mile Markovic and Slobodan Ostojic and orders a retrial.
Disagreements over which trials should be held before the State Court, and which should go before lower courts, will continue until a war-crimes strategy finally sorts out the issue of case referral.