Ukrainian judicial authorities have requested information from the Prosecutor’s Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina about 12 BiH citizens on suspicion of having committed war crimes on the territory of this country.
As reported by Detektor, citing the response of the Prosecutor’s Office of Ukraine, their identities, nor information on their whereabouts, are available.
“As part of the investigation, in February 2024, a request for international legal assistance was sent to the competent authorities of BiH, regarding the provision of information on the whereabouts of 12 persons on the territory of BiH who, according to the investigation, participated in crimes on the territory of Ukraine, as members of private military companies,” stated a written response from the Prosecutor’s Office of Ukraine to Detektor.
In October 2024, the Prosecutor’s Office of BiH responded to the Ukrainian State Prosecutor that it was not possible to execute their requests due to the fact that these 12 persons were not present at the places of residence where they were registered.
“To date, no decision has been made regarding the notification of these citizens. The pre-investigation procedure is ongoing,” the Prosecutor General’s Office of Ukraine said.
EUROPOL, as a reminder, previously stated that these BiH citizens are part of a group of 654 individuals suspected of having committed the most serious war crimes on Ukrainian soil as members of the Russian paramilitary companies Wagner and Redut. The other individuals are citizens of Ukraine, Moldova, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan and Armenia.
“These individuals are believed to have committed war crimes such as acts of sexual violence, executions of prisoners of war and executions of civilians,” stated a statement from EUROPOL on the operation conducted with the Ukrainian and Moldovan authorities.
During the operation itself, 70 house searches were carried out in Moldova and Ukraine, and firearms and cold weapons, ammunition, uniforms, insignia with symbols of paramilitary organizations, as well as electronic equipment were seized.
The names of 280 foreign nationals suspected of participating in combat operations have been shared with the relevant countries, EUROPOL added at the time, and details of mercenary training have also been revealed. The Ukrainian Prosecutor General’s Office did not disclose the names of the suspects in its response to Detektor.
It is worth noting that the Criminal Code of Bosnia and Herzegovina prohibits participation in foreign battlefields, and that the penalty for this crime is at least three years in prison.
The law stipulates that anyone who organizes, manages, trains, equips or mobilizes individuals or groups with the aim of having them join foreign military, paramilitary or parapolice formations operating outside the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina in any way will be punished with a five-year prison sentence.
Gavrilo Stević is the only person from Bosnia and Herzegovina to have been charged with war crimes in Ukraine so far, and he was acquitted of the charges before the State Court.
