Minister: Jurišić will remain in Serbia

Justice Minister Dušan Petrović says the Tuzla column case cannot be transferred to the Bosnian judiciary.

Izvor: Tanjug

Wednesday, 12.09.2007.

15:29

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Justice Minister Dusan Petrovic says the Tuzla column case cannot be transferred to the Bosnian judiciary. Ilija Jurisic, former president of the Tuzla municipal government, has been named as a suspect by the Serbian War Crimes Prosecution for taking part in the offensive launched against Yugoslav People’s Army (JNA) troops on May 15, 1992 during their withdrawal from the city, in a case known as the Tuzla Column. Minister: Jurisic will remain in Serbia Muslim forces attacked a JNA military convoy, killing dozens of officers and soldiers, while the event was being broadcast live on a local television station. Jurisic was arrested in Belgrade in May this year, suspected of having directly participated in ordering the attack. “Jurisic may face a prison sentence of over 10 years, which is why we cannot give his case to Bosnia. Our judiciary neither would nor could cede the case for that reason,” he said. Serbian and Bosnian judiciaries are in an ongoing dispute over the case, as they lead parallel investigations into the 1993 Tuzla incident. On September 7, Bosnian Justice Minister Barisa Colak criticized Serbia’s War Crimes Chamber for bypassing Bosnian institutions in delivering subpoenas to Bosnian citizens, calling for their testimonies in the Tuzla Column case. Speaking of the incident, Petrovic said that sending subpoenas to witnesses living in Bosnia did not constitute a violation of international law and practice, adding that the subpoenas had been dispatched directly to save time and speed up the procedure. However, he admitted that certain technical oversights had been made, as the document was written according to a Serbian model, and contained sanctions in the event of a witness refusing to comply and take the stand. Such sanctions do not apply elsewhere.

Minister: Jurišić will remain in Serbia

Muslim forces attacked a JNA military convoy, killing dozens of officers and soldiers, while the event was being broadcast live on a local television station.

Jurišić was arrested in Belgrade in May this year, suspected of having directly participated in ordering the attack.

“Jurišić may face a prison sentence of over 10 years, which is why we cannot give his case to Bosnia. Our judiciary neither would nor could cede the case for that reason,” he said.

Serbian and Bosnian judiciaries are in an ongoing dispute over the case, as they lead parallel investigations into the 1993 Tuzla incident.

On September 7, Bosnian Justice Minister Bariša Čolak criticized Serbia’s War Crimes Chamber for bypassing Bosnian institutions in delivering subpoenas to Bosnian citizens, calling for their testimonies in the Tuzla Column case.

Speaking of the incident, Petrović said that sending subpoenas to witnesses living in Bosnia did not constitute a violation of international law and practice, adding that the subpoenas had been dispatched directly to save time and speed up the procedure.

However, he admitted that certain technical oversights had been made, as the document was written according to a Serbian model, and contained sanctions in the event of a witness refusing to comply and take the stand. Such sanctions do not apply elsewhere.

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