Dudakovic arrested for crimes against Serbs, then released

The Bosniak (Bosnian Muslim) is suspected of committing war crimes against Serbs in the fall of 1995.

Several other persons, suspected of committing war crimes against Serbs during the war, from 1992 until 1995, have also been detained.

They have been arrested on the order of the Prosecution of BiH, while the investigation against Dudakovic lasted 12 years.

On Sunday, the Court of Bosnia-Herzegovina rejected the Prosction's proposal to keep the group detained, and released Dudakovic and 12 others who will remain free during the trial.

Instead, "measures of prohibition" have been ordered against them, that one of the suspects' lawyers, Nihada Buturovic, said were "not yet known" - but mostly likely consist of a ban on mutual communication among the suspect, and with the witnesses.

According to institutions in the Serb Republic (RS) searching for missing persons, a total of 870 Serb civilians and 400 soldiers have been killed in 5th Corps operations during 1995 in the municipalities of Petrovac, Bihac, Bosanska Krupa, Sanski Most, and Kljuc, while more than 30 villages have been burned down.

21 mass graves have been found in this area, containing the remains of Serbs killed by members of the 5th Corps during a military operation dubbed "Maestral."

Over the past years, broadcasters in the region showed video footage of Dudakovic ordering war crimes and participating in them.

Dudakovic earlier denied his involvement in war crimes, claiming that these videos had been "edited" and his words "taken out of context."

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