After the first-instance verdict was annulled, the High Court in Belgrade scheduled for January 30th the start of the renewed trial of those accused of participating in the kidnapping of 20 passengers from the train at the station in Strpci in February 1993.
The Court of Appeal in Belgrade overturned the first-instance verdict by which Gojko Lukic, Dusko Vasiljevic, Jovan Lipovac, and Dragana Djekic were sentenced to a total of 35 years in prison for participating in the kidnapping of 20 passengers from a train at the Strpci station in February 1993, who were then killed, and thus sent the case back for a retrial.
“In this case, the main hearing is scheduled for January 30th, 2024,” the High Court of Belgrade stated.
The first-instance verdict sentenced Gojko Lukic, Vasiljevic, and Lipovac to ten years in prison each, and Djekic to five years.
The prisoners, mostly Bosniaks, were kidnapped from the train in Strpci and taken to a school in Prelov, where they were physically attacked. Then they were taken to a burnt house in the village of Musici, where they were executed.
The verdict states that Gojko Lukic, Vasiljevic, Lipovac, and Djekic were convicted of participating in the beating of prisoners in Prelov and taking them to a house in Musici.
Gojko Lukic, Vasiljevic, and Djekic are accused of being members of the paramilitary unit “Avengers” under the leadership of Milan Lukic, who was sentenced to life imprisonment before the Tribunal in The Hague for war crimes in Visegrad, but not for the murders in Strpci, while Lipovac was a soldier of the Army of the Republika Srpska (VRS) at the time of the crime.
At the end of August last year, the Appellate Chamber of the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) confirmed the verdict by which seven former members of the VRS were sentenced to 91 years in prison for participating in the kidnapping of 20 civilians from a train in Strpci, while Luka Dragicevic was acquitted of the charge of having issued an order to take the civilians away.
In a separate proceeding, the Court of BiH sentenced Boban Indjic to 15 years in prison.
E.Dz.
