In the criminal case of Minet Akeljić et al., the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina (Court of BiH), having held the trial, delivered a Trial Judgment on 2 October 2018 finding the accused Minet Akeljić, Šaban Haskić, Senad Bilal and Hazim Patković guilty of the criminal offense of War Crime against the Civilian Population under Article 142(1) of the Criminal Code of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (CC SFRY) adopted on the basis of the Law on the Application of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Criminal Code of the SFRY, in conjunction with Article 22 of the CC SFRY.
During the armed conflict in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) between the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina (Army of R BiH) and the Croatian Defense Council (HVO), in Kruščica, Vitez municipality, the accused Minet Akeljić, as Commander of the Military Police of the 1st Battalion of the 325th Mountain Brigade of the Army of R BiH, and Šaban Haskić, Senad Bilal and Hazim Patković, as members of the Military Police of the 1st Battalion of the 325th Mountain Brigade of the Army of R BiH (military unit 5077), acted in violation of the provisions of Article 3(1)(a) and (c) of the Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War of 12 August 1949 and Article 4(1) and (2)(a) and (e) of Protocol (II) Additional to the Geneva Conventions of 1949 and relating to the Protection of Victims of Non-International Armed Conflicts of 8 June 1977, prohibiting violence to life and person, in particular murder of all kinds, mutilation, cruel treatment and torture, and outrages upon personal dignity, in particular humiliating and degrading treatment.
By applying the provisions of Articles 38 and 41 of the CC SFRY, the Court of BiH imposed the following sentences on the accused: Minet Akeljić – seven (7) years’ imprisonment, Šaban Haskić – seven (7) years’ imprisonment, Senad Bilal – eight (8) years’ imprisonment and Hazim Patković – five (5) years’ imprisonment.
