Bosnian official cancels trip over prison visit

Bosnian Presidency Chairman Haris Silajdzic will come to Belgrade when he is able to visit convicted war criminal Ilija Jurisic, daily Danas reported. The Bosnian embassy in Serbia has sent an official request to the Justice Ministry for moving Jurisic from the District Court to “another location” in order for Silajdzic to be able to visit him. Bosnian official cancels trip over prison visit Silajdzic’s advisor for legal question Damir Arnaut did not want to comment on these reports but said that the visit will be realized “when the identical program that was agreed on and confirmed for May 25 can be secured”. Silajdzic was supposed to visit Belgrade on Tuesday to meet with President Boris Tadic, but canceled the trip. The official announcement said that this came due to problems with the Bosnian official’s aircraft at the New York airport. The Serbian Justice Ministry stated that visits to prisoners in the Belgrade District Court have been suspended for security reasons until Friday. Danas states that the Bosnian embassy has requested information from the ministry regarding this prohibition on visits, asking whether it is related to Silajdzic’s planned visit to the District Prison to see Jurisic. According to the daily, the Bosnian official’s request to visit Jurisic was granted for May 21. Jurisic is a former Bosnian official found guilty of war crimes and sentenced to 12 years in prison for his role in the deadly attack on a retreating convoy of Yugoslav People's Army (JNA) convoy in the eastern Bosnian town of Tuzla, in May 1992. The Bosnian embassy requested an immediate answer, so that Silajdzic’s visit can be planned for Thursday. Justice Minister State Secretary Slobodan Homen has informed the Bosnian government that the request made by the embassy will not receive an answer until Wednesday, since Justice Minister Snezana Malovic was on an official visit outside the country. Sources in Belgrade speculate that the visits were prohibited so that a possible protest would be avoided, since there was unrest at the end of last week in a Novi Sad prison. There are also rumors of protests being planned in prisons in Sremska Mitrovica and Nis. Another possible reason for the prohibition is the plan to transfer all organized crime and war crime convicts to Zabela, the so-called “Serbian Alcatraz” though the State Corrections Administration has denied this.

Bosnian official cancels trip over prison visit

Silajdžić’s advisor for legal question Damir Arnaut did not want to comment on these reports but said that the visit will be realized “when the identical program that was agreed on and confirmed for May 25 can be secured”.

Silajdžić was supposed to visit Belgrade on Tuesday to meet with President Boris Tadić, but canceled the trip. The official announcement said that this came due to problems with the Bosnian official’s aircraft at the New York airport.

The Serbian Justice Ministry stated that visits to prisoners in the Belgrade District Court have been suspended for security reasons until Friday.

Danas states that the Bosnian embassy has requested information from the ministry regarding this prohibition on visits, asking whether it is related to Silajdžić’s planned visit to the District Prison to see Jurišić.

According to the daily, the Bosnian official’s request to visit Jurišić was granted for May 21.

Jurišić is a former Bosnian official found guilty of war crimes and sentenced to 12 years in prison for his role in the deadly attack on a retreating convoy of Yugoslav People's Army (JNA) convoy in the eastern Bosnian town of Tuzla, in May 1992.

The Bosnian embassy requested an immediate answer, so that Silajdžić’s visit can be planned for Thursday.

Justice Minister State Secretary Slobodan Homen has informed the Bosnian government that the request made by the embassy will not receive an answer until Wednesday, since Justice Minister Snežana Malović was on an official visit outside the country.

Sources in Belgrade speculate that the visits were prohibited so that a possible protest would be avoided, since there was unrest at the end of last week in a Novi Sad prison.

There are also rumors of protests being planned in prisons in Sremska Mitrovica and Niš.

Another possible reason for the prohibition is the plan to transfer all organized crime and war crime convicts to Zabela, the so-called “Serbian Alcatraz” though the State Corrections Administration has denied this.