Head of OSCE Mission to Serbia welcomes improved co-operation between Serbian and BiH war crimes prosecutors
BELGRADE, 31 January 2013 - The Head of the OSCE Mission to Serbia, Ambassador Peter Burkhard welcomed today the signing in Brussels of the agreement on evidence sharing in war crimes cases between the Chief Prosecutor of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the War Crimes Prosecutor of the Republic of Serbia.
“Bringing those responsible for war crimes to justice is fundamental to the reconciliation in the region and a key element of the rule of law,” said Burkhard. “This agreement shows the commitment of Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina to eliminating impunity and ensuring accountability for serious war crimes, and to developing their good neighboring relations.”
“I commend this important step by the Serbian and BiH prosecutors. It is an encouraging sign of further expansion of the network of regional agreements in war crimes cases.”
The evidence sharing agreement enables the prosecutors from the two countries to exchange information and evidence and improves co-ordination in the process of investigation.
The War Crimes Prosecutor of the Republic of Serbia, Vladimir Vukčević said: “The regional agreements like the one we signed today help our work and prevent war crimes perpetrators from using state borders to escape justice. The OSCE Mission to Serbia was among the first to recognize the importance of regional co-operation on war crime investigation matters, and has continuously supported and provided expertise that have facilitated our work with partners in neighbouring countries.”
Since 2004, the OSCE Mission to Serbia has been actively supporting regional co-operation in war crimes proceedings, through what was initially called the Palić process that has resulted in co-operation agreements between prosecutors of Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and Montenegro.