Hague fugitive Župljanin arrested

Hague fugitive Stojan Zupljanin was arrested at 12:30 CET today, War Crimes Prosecution officials have confirmed. B92 understands that he was arrested in a flat in Pancevo. Hague fugitive Zupljanin arrested Zupljanin was brought to the Special Court at 13:00 CET where he was questioned by the investigative judge.He is accused of crimes against Muslims and Croats in Bosnian Krajina in Bosnia-Hercegovina. War Crimes Prosecutor Vladimir Vukcevic confirmed that the police had been on the fugitive's tail since a search operation at his home in Nis last month. No-one was injured in the operation. Vukcevic said that Zupljanin had been hiding in Serbia over the last few months and that he had not resisted arrest. "Zupljanin has been in Serbia since the last arrest attempt in Nis, when we missed him by a whisker. We've been on the ground permanently since then, which has led to today's arrest," the war crimes prosecutor told B92. Earlier, President of the National Council for Cooperation with the Hague Tribunal Rasim Ljajic told Beta that “this arrest is proof that Serbia is doing everything it can to meet its commitments to cooperation with the Hague Tribunal,” adding that work would continue towards achieving full cooperation with the court. Zupljanin was head of the Center for Security Services in Banja Luka and a high-ranking police official in Bosnian Krajina, and also represented the police in the Autonomous Region of Krajina’s Crisis Headquarters. He stands accused of a lengthy list of crimes including crimes against humanity, violating the rules and customs of war, associated criminal undertaking, persecution, extermination and murder, torture, harsh treatment and inhumane acts, deportation and wanton destruction, and cleansing of towns and villages. According to the Hague’s indictment, the Krajina Crisis Headquarters conducted a general plan of control and ethnic cleansing on the territory of Banja Luka, Bosanska Krupa, Bosanski Novi, Bosanski Petrovac, Celinac, Donji Vakuf, Kljuc, Kotor Varos, Prijedor, Prnjavor, Sanski Most, Sipov and Teslic. The indictment was filed on December 17, 1999, and sealed on July 13, 2001. The Hague Tribunal is still on the hunt for the remaining Serb political and military leaders from Bosnia-Hercegovina and Croatia, Radovan Karadzic, Ratko Mladic, and Goran Hadzic. Tribunal officials have claimed on a number of occasions that Zupljanin was within reach of the Serbian authorities, as was also maintained by the Republic of Srpska government, which conducted a number of search operations for the fugitive. It was reported that he had been hiding both in Serbia and Montenegro. Recently, a senior official in the Bosnian Secret Services, Predrag Ceranic, was dismissed over his supposed links with Zupljanin, something that he denied. On March 26, police narrowly failed to apprehend Zupljanin following a search of flat in Nis, while on April 11, NATO forces searched the fugitive’s family home in Banja Luka. The war crimes suspect's family has also made a number of public appeals over the last few months for him to turn himself in, citing the great pressure they have been under, and the threats to their very existence. Zupljanin was born on September 28, 1951 in the village of Maslovar in the municipality of Kotor Varos in Bosnia-Hercegovina. He studied law in Sarajevo and in 1975, began to work for the Interior Ministry Secretariat in Banja Luka. Stojan Zupljanin (Tanjug, archive)

Hague fugitive Župljanin arrested

Župljanin was brought to the Special Court at 13:00 CET where he was questioned by the investigative judge.He is accused of crimes against Muslims and Croats in Bosnian Krajina in Bosnia-Hercegovina. War Crimes Prosecutor Vladimir Vukčević confirmed that the police had been on the fugitive's tail since a search operation at his home in Niš last month. No-one was injured in the operation.

Vukčević said that Župljanin had been hiding in Serbia over the last few months and that he had not resisted arrest.

"Župljanin has been in Serbia since the last arrest attempt in Niš, when we missed him by a whisker. We've been on the ground permanently since then, which has led to today's arrest," the war crimes prosecutor told B92.

Earlier, President of the National Council for Cooperation with the Hague Tribunal Rasim Ljajić told Beta that “this arrest is proof that Serbia is doing everything it can to meet its commitments to cooperation with the Hague Tribunal,” adding that work would continue towards achieving full cooperation with the court.

Župljanin was head of the Center for Security Services in Banja Luka and a high-ranking police official in Bosnian Krajina, and also represented the police in the Autonomous Region of Krajina’s Crisis Headquarters.

He stands accused of a lengthy list of crimes including crimes against humanity, violating the rules and customs of war, associated criminal undertaking, persecution, extermination and murder, torture, harsh treatment and inhumane acts, deportation and wanton destruction, and cleansing of towns and villages.

According to the Hague’s indictment, the Krajina Crisis Headquarters conducted a general plan of control and ethnic cleansing on the territory of Banja Luka, Bosanska Krupa, Bosanski Novi, Bosanski Petrovac, Čelinac, Donji Vakuf, Ključ, Kotor Varoš, Prijedor, Prnjavor, Sanski Most, Šipov and Teslić.

The indictment was filed on December 17, 1999, and sealed on July 13, 2001.

The Hague Tribunal is still on the hunt for the remaining Serb political and military leaders from Bosnia-Hercegovina and Croatia, Radovan Karadžić, Ratko Mladić, and Goran Hadžić.

Tribunal officials have claimed on a number of occasions that Župljanin was within reach of the Serbian authorities, as was also maintained by the Republic of Srpska government, which conducted a number of search operations for the fugitive. It was reported that he had been hiding both in Serbia and Montenegro.

Recently, a senior official in the Bosnian Secret Services, Predrag Ćeranić, was dismissed over his supposed links with Župljanin, something that he denied.

On March 26, police narrowly failed to apprehend Župljanin following a search of flat in Niš, while on April 11, NATO forces searched the fugitive’s family home in Banja Luka.

The war crimes suspect's family has also made a number of public appeals over the last few months for him to turn himself in, citing the great pressure they have been under, and the threats to their very existence.

Župljanin was born on September 28, 1951 in the village of Maslovar in the municipality of Kotor Varoš in Bosnia-Hercegovina. He studied law in Sarajevo and in 1975, began to work for the Interior Ministry Secretariat in Banja Luka.