Minister of Defense of Bosnia and Herzegovina Zukan Helez announced he had filed criminal reports against 37 members of the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina for glorifying the war criminal Ratko Mladić, 10 of which were forwarded to the Prosecutor’s Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina because it was confirmed that there are elements of a criminal act.
“I signed reports against a total of 37 members of the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina due to activities with which they glorified a finally convicted war criminal, Ratko Mladić. I especially want to emphasize that out of 37 reports in total, 10 were qualified as criminal reports and, along with collected evidence, submitted to the Prosecutor’s Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina for further processing,” Helez wrote on Facebook.
General Inspectorate of the Ministry of Defence of Bosnia and Herzegovina will examine the remaining reports. If it is determined that these activities constitute a criminal offense, they will subsequently be forwarded to the Prosecutor’s Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
“The procedure will also be processed against the remaining reported members. If the General Inspectorate of the Ministry of Defence of Bosnia and Herzegovina determines that they also violated the law and that there are elements of criminal liability, criminal reports will be filed against them as well and submitted to the Prosecutor’s Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina, along with the evidence,” Helez said.
Among the reported are also two members of the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina who were recently admitted into service and are currently undergoing training. If their responsibility is established, their service agreement with the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina will be terminated.
“My message is clear, and I will not back down: the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina will not be an institution in which to serve those who deny genocide, glorify war criminals, and persons finally convicted of genocide and the most serious war crimes. The Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina have zero tolerance for glorifying convicted war criminals. I expect all proceedings to be conducted professionally, impartially, and in accordance with law. At the same time, my obligation as Minister is to protect the integrity of the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the values on which this institution must rest. The Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina must be the army of all citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina – an institution respecting the law, the victims, final court rulings, and the state’s dignity,” said Helez in a post on social media.
