prijava
SARAJEVO, July 16 (FENA) - The Appellate Chamber of the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina handed down a final 11-year prison sentence to Sretko Pavić for his involvement in war crimes against civilians in the town of Prijedor.
Pavić, a former member of the Volarska Company within the 6th Ljubija Battalion of the Army of Republika Srpska (VRS), participated in the murder of five civilians from the Čausević family committed in the village of Rizvanovići, near Prijedor.
Pavić's trial was resumed after the Appellate Chamber overturned his first-instance verdict according to which he was found guilty of crimes against humanity and sentenced to 13 years in prison, BIRN reports.
The Chamber now found him guilty of war crimes against civilians and its Chairman, Dragomir Vukoje, explained that the first instance ruling was revoked due to "lack of explanation of the persecution (charge)".
He said that the Chamber does not dispute that there was a widespread and systematic attack against the non-Serb population in the Prijedor area, but that in this particular case it did not find this qualification proven in relation to Pavić.
According to Vukoje, based on the statements of witnesses, and especially eyewitness S-1, the accused was identified as a co-perpetrator.
The judgment of the Appellate Chamber is final without the right to an appeal.
(FENA) S. R.
