Bosnian court sentences Serb to 22 years

Former commander of a Republic of Srpska (RS) Army unit Predrag Kujundzic has been sentenced to 22 years in prison. Kujundzic was charged with committing war crimes in Doboj, Bosnia, during the 1992-95 war in that country. Bosnian court sentences Serb to 22 years The indictment against him said he committed, encouraged and did not prevent sexual slavery, rapes, persecution and other inhumane acts, while the verdict reads that "all the crimes were committed with intent to discriminate". He was also found guilty of forcible relocation of population in two villages near Doboj, and of not preventing the taking of men from a prison camp to form a human shield, when 17 of those men died. A victim, underage at the time, gave her statement as a protected witness, accusing Kujundzic of raping her. "After the rape Kujundzic forced the witness to sexual slavery by ordering her to do whatever he asked of her from June until December 1992. He forced her to wear a cross-shaped pendant, gave her a Serb name and forced her to wear a Serb uniform,” the verdict said. The court chamber in Sarajevo today also said it had taken into account the mitigating circumstances, "the fact that the accused was a family man and that he had no previous convictions". The chamber said that the aggravating circumstances were the number of victims and the rape victim's age.

Bosnian court sentences Serb to 22 years

The indictment against him said he committed, encouraged and did not prevent sexual slavery, rapes, persecution and other inhumane acts, while the verdict reads that "all the crimes were committed with intent to discriminate".

He was also found guilty of forcible relocation of population in two villages near Doboj, and of not preventing the taking of men from a prison camp to form a human shield, when 17 of those men died.

A victim, underage at the time, gave her statement as a protected witness, accusing Kujundžić of raping her.

"After the rape Kujundžić forced the witness to sexual slavery by ordering her to do whatever he asked of her from June until December 1992. He forced her to wear a cross-shaped pendant, gave her a Serb name and forced her to wear a Serb uniform,” the verdict said.

The court chamber in Sarajevo today also said it had taken into account the mitigating circumstances, "the fact that the accused was a family man and that he had no previous convictions".

The chamber said that the aggravating circumstances were the number of victims and the rape victim's age.