“The Trial Chamber is convinced beyond reasonable doubt that these acts were carried out with genocidal intent

Vujadin Popović and others - Life Imprisonment

GUILTY

The most extensive case by the number of accused in one case in the Srebrenica proceedings before the ICTY involves people who were high military and police commanders of Republika Srpska. Convicted in the process were: Vujadin Popović, Ljubiša Beara, Dragan Nikolić, Ljubomir Borovčanin, Radivoje Miletić, Milan Gvero, and Vinko Pandurević - high military and police commanders of Republika Srpska. (Case number: MICT-15-85-ES.2)

The verdict of the Trial Chamber was pronounced on June 10, 2010, and of the Appeals Chamber on January 30, 2015:

"The killing operation – from the separation through detention to execution and burial – was [a] carefully orchestrated strategy of destruction directed against the Muslim population of Eastern Bosnia… The Trial Chamber is convinced beyond reasonable doubt that these acts were carried out with genocidal intent.“ (From the verdict in the case against Popović et al.)

Vujadin Popović

Convicted of genocide, conspiracy to commit genocide, crimes against humanity, and violations of the laws or customs of war, sentenced to life imprisonment. Serving the sentence in Germany.

Ljubiša Beara

Convicted of genocide, conspiracy to commit genocide, crimes against humanity, and violations of the laws or customs of war, sentenced to life imprisonment. Serving the sentence in Germany.

Drago Nikolić

Convicted for aiding and abetting genocide, crimes against humanity, and violations of the laws or customs of war, sentenced to a prison term of 35 years. He passed away on October 11, 2015, during a temporary release in Serbia.

Radivoje Miletić

Convicted of crimes against humanity and violations of the laws or customs of war, sentenced to a prison term of 18 years.

Vinko Pandurević

Convicted of crimes against humanity and violations of the laws or customs of war, sentenced to a prison term of 13 years.

Ljubomir Borovčanin

He did not appeal the verdict of the Trial Chamber issued on June 10, 2010, when he was convicted of crimes against humanity and violations of the laws or customs of war, sentenced to 17 years in prison.

Milan Gvero

The Trial Chamber issued a convicting verdict for crimes against humanity to five years in prison on June 10, 2010. He died on March 7, 2013, before the Appeals Chamber's verdict was pronounced.

These seven former high military and police commanders of the Bosnian Serbs were convicted for crimes committed after the capture of the Srebrenica and Žepa safe areas. The case against Vujadin Popović and others was the third instance in which the crime of genocide committed in Srebrenica was established.

The ICTY determined that in Eastern Bosnia in July 1995, there were two joint criminal enterprises (JCE):

  1. The JCE to kill the military-age Bosnian Muslim (Bosniak) men from Srebrenica, and
  2. The JCE to forcibly transfer the Bosniak population from Srebrenica and Žepa.

The Trial Chamber found that Vujadin Popović "knew that the intention was not only to kill those who fell into the hands of the Bosnian Serb forces but to kill as many as possible with the aim of destroying the group. Popović's subsequent active participation in all parts of the plan shows that he not only knew of the intention to destroy but also shared that intention." The Appeals Chamber confirmed this conclusion.

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