Serbia Takes Over Case Against Bosnian Serb Military Policeman

The War Crimes Section of the Higher Court in Belgrade has granted a request by the Bosnian Justice Ministry to recognise a verdict from the Bosnian state court convicting former military policeman Dragomir Kezunovic of committing crimes against humanity during the Bosnian war.

Kezunovic, a member of the Military Police Squad with the Teslic Brigade of the Bosnian Serb Army, was convicted under the first-instance verdict of involvement in the shooting of 28 civilians in the Teslic area in 1992.

An appeal against the verdict will now be heard in a Serbian court.

"The case files are before the Appeals Court in Belgrade, which will give its judgment," the Higher Court in Belgrade told BIRN.

Kezunovic lives in Serbia but attended the trial at the Bosnian state court. However, he did not appear for the first-instance verdict in July 2018, when he was sentenced to 14 years in prison.

He was convicted alongside Dragan Marjanovic, Sasa Gavranovic, Vitomir Devic and Zoran Sljuka of taking 28 civilians, who were detained at police premises in Teslic and at the Pribinic prison, to mount Borje on the night of June 17-18, 1992, and killing them.

Marjanovic was the commander of the Military Police Squad and the other defendants were members of the Bosnian Serb Army's Teslic Brigade and also part of the 'Mice' unit.

The verdict ruled that Gavranovic, Devic and Sljuka shot the civilians together with others, but could only determine that Kezunovic was nearby and "contributed to the murder of the 28 civilians".