Procesuiranje predmeta ratnih zločina u Bosni i Hercegovini (2004-2024)1 Misija OSCE-a1u Bosni i Hercegovini (Misija) vrši sveobuh- Neriješeni predmeti ratnih zločina na svim vatno praćenje postupaka pred tužilaštvima i sudovima u nivoima pravosuđa u BiH predmetima ratnih zločina u Bosni i Hercegovini (BiH) od 2004. godine.2 U svrhu upotpunjavanja podataka dobivenih Sva tužilaštva u BiH imaju značajan broj neriješenih predmeta praćenjem postupaka, Misija je 2014. godine počela priku- ratnih zločina, s tim da pod tim predmetima podrazumijeva- pljati i analizirati podatke u vezi sa neriješenim predmetima mo predmete na svim nivoima pravosuđa u BiH u kojima su u fazi prije podizanja optužnice za svaki prijavljeni poten- ratni zločini prijavljeni, ali ih tužilaštva još nisu procesuirala. cijalni predmet ratnog zločina. U skladu s praksom koju je Osim 253 predmeta ratnih zločina u kojima je osumnjičeni uspostavila Misija, Visoko sudsko i tužilačko vijeće BiH sada poznat (KTRZ), od ukupnog broja neriješenih predmeta, broj na sličan način prikuplja podatke o neriješenim predmetima neriješenih predmeta uključuje i 2.700 prijavljenih ratnih zločina dva puta godišnje. Oslanjajući se na ove izvore podataka, u u kojima osumnjičeni nije poznat (KTNRZ) ili pak nije izvjesno ovom sažetom prikazu daje se statistički pregled okončanih postojanje krivičnog djela ratnih zločina (KTARZ). Napredak predmeta ratnih zločina i onih koji su u toku pred svim su- u rješavanju KTNRZ i KTARZ predmeta je ograničen, što čini dovima (nakon potvrđivanja optužnice) i tužilaštvima (prije podizanje budućih optužnica sve manje vjerovatnim. potvrđivanja optužnice) u BiH. 3 U ovom sažetom prikazu također se predstavljaju i ključni trendovi u procesuiranju Kako bi se potaklo efikasno i učinkovito procesuiranje neri- predmeta seksualnog nasilja u oružanom sukobu. ješenih predmeta, Državnom strategijom za rad na predme- 1 Ovaj sažeti prikaz sadrži podatke dostupne Misiji i koje je Misija potvrdila, tima ratnih zločina (Strategija) – usvojenom 2008. i revidira- zaključno sa 31. decembrom 2024. godine. S obzirom na to da je Misija nom 2020. godine (Revidirana strategija)4 – predviđeno je pratila različite podatke u različitom periodu, vremenski rasponi na koje se da Tužilaštvo BiH u svom radu prioritizira najsloženije pred- odnose podaci mogu varirati. Osim toga, prilikom vršenja analize, Misija je uzela u obzir neminovan uticaj pandemije COVID-19 na rad i efikasnost mete, na osnovu kriterija u pogledu težine krivičnog djela pravosuđa u BiH. 2 Termin „ratni zločini“ koristi se za predmete koji uključuju optužbe za 4 (Revidirana) strategija predviđa kriterije za ocjenu činjenične i pravne genocid, zločine protiv čovječnosti i ratne zločine u skladu sa odredbama složenosti predmeta. Vidjeti, Aneks A (Revidirane) strategije. Iako je Strate- međunarodnog humanitarnog prava. gija pretrpila značajne izmjene i dopune tokom procesa revizije, suština 3 U svrhu očuvanja objektivnosti Programa za praćenje sudskih postupaka strateških ciljeva ostala je uglavnom neizmijenjena, čime je osiguran konti- Misije, svaka rasprava o predmetima koji su u toku, uključujući i one koji nuitet i dosljednost u provođenju Strategije nakon revidiranja. Stoga, kada su u fazi prije podizanja optužnica, ograničena je na kvantitativne podatke. se u ovom dokumentu govori o strateškim ciljevima, poziva se i na prvobi- Takvi predmeti se nikada ne identifikuju direktno. tnu i na Revidiranu strategiju, ukoliko nije drugačije naznačeno.
Pregled neriješenih predmeta 2437 2500 2373 2350 2276 2079 2000 Broj neriješenih predmeta
1732 1518 1407 1457 1500 1210 1249 1240 1243 1042 1054 1048 1082 1009 948 1000 846 773 698 621 571 495 500 395 322 253
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 Ukupan broj KTRZ predmeta 1210 1009 948 846 773 698 621 571 495 395 322 253 Ukupan broj KTARZ predmeta 0 0 0 0 2437 2373 2350 2276 2079 1732 1518 1243 Ukupan broj KTNRZ predmeta 0 0 0 0 1042 1054 1048 1082 1249 1240 1407 1457 Ustupljeni predmeti (2009-2024)* Predmeti Oznaka ustupljeni na 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 Ukupno predmeta nivo:
KTARZ 0 3 1 11 6 2 1 2 2 5 0 0 2 5 5 10 55 Federacije KTNRZ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 83 34 118 93 40 36 29 434 BiH (FBiH) KTRZ 3 31 15 134 37 32 20 25 13 38 16 38 16 10 4 11 443
KTARZ 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 0 2 6 1 0 0 7 4 6 29 Republike KTNRZ 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 9 13 69 71 36 30 35 264 Srpske (RS) KTRZ 3 9 8 70 13 9 11 4 5 24 10 24 8 7 2 0 207
KTARZ 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 2 6 Brčko distrikta BiH KTNRZ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 11 18 5 2 3 40 (BDBiH) KTRZ 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 0 7
UKUPNO 6 45 25 217 58 43 32 31 24 167 75 260 209 114 83 96 1485
* Izraz „ustupljeni predmeti“ odnosi se na predmete koje je Sud BiH ustupio sudovima u entitetima i BDBiH, u skladu sa članom 27/27a Zakona o krivičnom postupku BiH. Ovaj grafikon obuhvata podatke od 2009. godine, nakon usvajanja Državne strategije za rad na predmetima ratnih zločina do kraja 2024. godine, što predstavlja najnovije potpune podatke dostupne Misiji.
i svojstva i uloge počinitelja te da se rješenjem Suda BiH5 Udio CRSV predmeta ustupljenim vođenje postupaka u manje složenim predmetima ustupi predmetima (2009-2024) sudovima u entitetima i Brčko distriktu BiH (BDBiH). Nakon početne usporene dinamike ustupanja predmeta, niz sasta- 157 naka koje je omogućila Misija u 2018. godini, rezultirao je 11% time da je Tužilaštvo BiH izvršilo ocjenu složenosti neriješenih KTRZ predmeta i najavilo ustupanje preostalih manje složenih predmeta sudovima u entitetima i BDBiH. Dakle, svi preostali predmeti u Tužilaštvu BiH trebali bi biti složeni u skladu sa 1328 kriterijima utvrđenim Aneksom A Revidirane strategije. Misija 89% trenutno vrši analizu optužnica koje je podiglo Tužilaštvo BiH kako bi se utvrdilo da li je to provedeno u praksi.
Važno je spomenuti da je od ukupno 1.485 ustupljenih Drugi predmeti CRSV predmeti predmeta, Tužilaštvo BiH ustupilo i 157 predmeta koji uključuju navode seksualnog nasilja u oružanom su- kobu (CRSV predmeti), što može ukazivati na to da se takvi predmeti načelno ocjenjuju kao složeni.
Misija sa zabrinutošću primjećuje da je Tužilaštvo BiH više od 80% KTNRZ predmeta ustupilo okružnim i kantonalnim tužilaštvima. Bez utvrđenog identiteta osumnjičenog teško je dati tačnu procjenu da li određeni predmet ispunjava re- levantne kriterije za ustupanje iz Aneksa A Strategije.6 Iako pravosudne institucije u entitetima i BDBiH načelno imaju kapacitete za istragu i krivično gonjenje predmeta ratnih zlo- čina, oni imaju znatno ograničenije ljudske resurse u odnosu na Tužilaštvo BiH i nemaju pristup specijaliziranim jedinicama za istragu ratnih zločina Državne agencije za istrage i zašti- tu (SIPA).7 Ovo smanjuje vjerovatnoću utvrđivanja identiteta osumnjičenih.
5 Vidjeti član 7(1) Zakona o Sudu BiH – prečišćeni tekst, Službeni glasnik BiH, 49/09, 74/09, 97/09. 6 Utrka s vremenom – Napredak i izazovi u provođenju Državne strategije za rad na predmetima ratnih zločina u Bosni i Hercegovini (2022.) str. 23-25, Upravljanje predmetima ratnih zločina u postupku pred Tužilaštvom Bosne i Hercegovine (2019.), str. 16. 7 Utrka s vremenom – Napredak i izazovi u provođenju Državne strategije za rad na predmetima ratnih zločin u Bosni i Hercegovini (2022) str. 25. Potvrđene optužnice (2014-2024) (broj optuženih prikazan u zagradama)
2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 Nivo pravosuđa Predmeti Predmeti Predmeti Predmeti Predmeti Predmeti Predmeti Predmeti Predmeti Predmeti Predmeti
BiH 57 (116) 49 (131) 36 (90) 30 (67) 36 (98) 17 (40) 12 (32) 16 (43) 24 (72) 14 (65) 12 (51)
FBiH 21 (26) 20 (22) 21 (34) 12 (17) 11 (17) 13 (14) 3 (3) 11 (12) 11 (14) 15 (28) 4 (6)
RS 16 (25) 15 (18) 12 (18) 7 (15) 10 (13) 5 (5) 3 (4) 3 (3) 9 (16) 7 (10) 4 (5)
BDBiH 3 (4) 1 (1) 0 0 2 (2) 1 (2) 1 (1) 0 0 1 (1) 0 (0)
Total: 539 97 (171) 85 (172) 69 (142) 49 (99) 59 (130) 36 (61) 19 (40) 30 (58) 44 (102) 37 (104) 20 (62)
* Podaci su dobiveni na osnovu praćenja sudskih postupaka koje je Misija provela u sklopu Projekta za praćenje rada na predmetima ratnih zločina, koji je finansirala EU, a s čijim provođenjem se počelo 2014. godine.
Predmeti koji su u toku (nakon podizanja optužnice) Zaključno s krajem 2024. godine, na svim nivoima pravosuđa Predmeti ratnih zločina koji su u toku u BiH bilo je 226 predmeta koji su u toku. Od tog broja, 2 njih 11 čekalo je na potvrđivanje optužnice; 98 ih je bilo u 1% fazi prije izjašnjena o krivnji; u 21 predmetu čekalo se na početak glavnog pretresa; a njih 96 bili su u fazi glavnog pre- 43 tresa, ponovnog suđenja, ili žalbenog postupka. Od toga, 53 19% predmeta sa 121 optuženim – koji čine skoro četvrtinu svih neokončanih predmeta ratnih zločina pred sudovima u cijeloj 123 54% BiH – uključuju seksualno nasilje u oružanom sukobu. 58 26% Čak i sa značajnim smanjenjem broja potvrđenih optužnica na godišnjoj osnovi od 2014. godine na svim nivoima pravo- suđa u BiH, predmeti seksualnog nasilja u oružanom sukobu čine otprilike jednu četvrtinu novopotvrđenih Nivo BIH FBIH RS BDBiH optužnica.
Sa preko 2000 predmeta u kojima je identitet osumnjičenih poznat koji još uvijek čekaju na procesuiranje i s obzirom na to da vrijeme za njihovo rješavanje doslovno ističe, pravosud- ni sistem – tužilaštva, sudovi i organi za provođenje zakona – moraju se fokusirati na okončavanje najsloženijih predmeta ratnih zločina i rješavanje zaostalih predmeta.
Nedostupnost optuženih sudovima predstavlja veliku prepreku okončanju gotovo polovine predmeta koji su u toku na svim ni- voima pravosuđa u BiH. Od 226 predmeta u fazi optuženja na kraju 2024. godine, 114 optuženih u ukupno 103 predmeta nisu bili dostupni nadležnom sudu u BiH, prvenstveno jer borave u inostranstvu, u državama bez zakonske mogućnosti izručenja.8 Nedostupnost optuženih je jednako prevalentna u tužilačkim predmetima u fazi prije podizanja optužnice, od kojih skoro pola uključuju jednog ili više osumnjičenih za koje se pretpostavlja da se nalaze u inostranstvu.
8 Ove podatke je objavilo Visoko sudsko i tužilačko vijeće Bosne i Her- cegovine u okviru Projekta unapređenja procesuiranja predmeta ratnih zločina u BiH. Okončani predmeti Do kraja 2024. godine, domaće pravosudne institucije okon- čale su ukupno 773 predmeta ratnih zločina sa 1.209 Stopa okončanih CRSV i drugih optuženih. Više od četvrtine okončanih predmeta ratnih zlo- predmeta (2004-2024) čina uključivalo je seksualno nasilje u oružanom sukobu, ukupno 200 predmeta protiv 298 optuženih.9 Važno je primijetiti da je procenat procesuiranih predmeta ratnih zlo- 200 čina koji su uključivali seksualno nasilje u oružanom sukobu 26% ostao dosljedno visok.
Uprkos značajnom broju presuđenih predmeta, 253 predmeta 573 ratnih zločina (KTRZ) koji uključuju 2.447 poznatih osumnjiče- 74% nih ostaju neriješeni do kraja 2024. godine. Bez obzira na ovaj broj neriješenih predmeta, godišnja stopa rješavanja predmeta naglo je opala nakon izbijanja pandemije COVID-19 i ostaje is- pod predpandemijskog maksimuma od 67 predmeta protiv 96 CRSV predmeti Drugi predmeti optuženih.
Među predmetima u kojima je donesena pravosnažna pre- suda, Misija sa zabrinutošću uočava sveukupni pad u broju Još jedan zabrinjavajući trend u presuđenim predmetima predmeta okončanih osuđujućom presudom od 2016. go- je općeprihvaćena praksa sudova prema kojoj se žrtve radi dine. Od 2022. godine, prosječna stopa osuđenih lica pred ostvarivanja imovinskopravnog zahtjeva upućuju na parnični svim sudovima dosljedno je ispod 60%. Osim toga, od 2017. postupak iako imaju nadležnost i zakonsku mogućnost pro- godine, stopa broja osuđenih lica na nivou BiH dosljedno je pisanu zakonima o krivičnom postupku da to urade u okviru ispod prosječne stope na nivou entiteta. Iako oslobađajuće krivičnog postupka. Od samo 23 predmeta u kojima je presude neminovno čine dio svakog pravosudnog sistema, dosuđena naknada (od ukupno 499 predmeta s pravo- ovaj zabrinjavajući trend mogao bi ukazivati na pad kvalitete snažnom osuđujućom presudom), 17 ih se odnosilo na istraga, optužnica i zastupanja i upravljanja optužnicama, po- seksualno nasilje u oružanom sukobu. sebno na nivou BiH.10 U predmetima seksualnog nasilja u oružanom sukobu, i prosjek (75%) kao i, s rijetkim izuzecima, godišnje stope broja osuđenih lica više su nego u drugim predmetima ratnih zločina.
Dosuđeni imovinskopravni zahtjevi u 9 U svojim javnim izvještajima, Misija je analizirala različite aspekte istrage i krivičnog gonjenja predmeta seksualnog nasilja u oružanom sukobu pred okončanim predmetima (2004-2024) domaćim pravosudnim institucijama. Vidjeti, Postizanje pravde za žrtve seksualnog nasilja u oružanom sukobu u Bosni i HercegoviniJustice: Napre- dak ostvaren pred sudovima u BiH od 2014. do 2016 (2017), Borba protiv nekažnjivosti za seksualno nasilje u oružanom sukobu u Bosni i Hercego- Broj predmeta
25 vini: postignuti napredak i izazovi – Analiza krivičnih postupaka pred Sudom 20 Bosne i Hercegovine od 2005. do 2013. godine (2014), i Analiza krivičnih 15 17 10 10 postupaka pred sudovima Federacije Bosne i Hercegovine, Republike Srp- 3 5 6 6 ske i Brčko distrikta BiH u periodu od 2004. do 2014. godine (2015). 0 4 FBiH RS Nivo BiH Ukupno 10 Vidjeti, između ostalog, Utrka s vremenom – Napredak i izazovi u provođenju Potpuno presuđenje 4 3 10 17 Državne strategije za rat na predmetima ratnih zločin u Bosni i Hercegovini (2022), i Upravljanje predmetima ratnih zločina u postupku pred Tužilaštvom Djelimično presuđenje 0 0 6 6 Bosne i Hercegovine (2019), kao i izvještaje sutkinje Joanne Korner, Proce- suiranje predmeta ratnih zločina na državnom nivou u Bosni i Hercegovini (2016) i Unapređenje procesuiranja predmeta ratnih zločina na državnom nivou u Bosni i Hercegovini – Izvještaj o napretku (2020).
Stopa pravosnažno osuđenih lica (2004-2024) 100% 90% Procenat osuđenja
80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 Nivo BiH (Prosjek 63%) 0% 0% 100% 88% 85% 65% 78% 76% 78% 60% 86% 83% 70% 58% 39% 71% 50% 90% 39% 49% 51% Entiteti i BDBiH (Prosjek 71%) 100% 35% 78% 61% 87% 60% 85% 60% 76% 82% 61% 85% 58% 71% 68% 78% 62% 89% 74% 54% 83% Ukupno (Prosjek 67%) 100% 35% 79% 67% 86% 63% 83% 67% 76% 67% 75% 84% 65% 64% 49% 74% 55% 90% 49% 51% 58% CRSV (Prosjek 75%) 100% 67% 100% 70% 90% 75% 100% 73% 100% 67% 71% 89% 70% 89% 75% 78% 0% 73% 80% 33% 60% Okončani predmeti ratnih zločina (2004-2024)
80 70 60 Broj predmeta
50 40 30 20 10 0 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 Nivo BiH (353) 0 0 2 8 13 17 10 16 9 18 22 27 29 24 27 35 15 18 30 17 16 BDBiH (23) 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 3 2 2 3 1 1 1 0 2 1 2 0 FBiH (252) 5 9 12 11 13 2 8 13 6 9 15 17 21 20 19 16 6 12 13 19 6 RS (145) 0 1 4 5 4 9 4 6 12 10 12 12 14 11 7 7 6 4 6 5 6 Ukupno (773) 5 11 18 25 30 29 23 35 28 40 51 58 67 56 54 59 27 36 50 43 28
Ukupan broj predmeta po prijavama u tužilaštvima (2014-2024) 450
400
350 104 70 300 101
250 52
60 200 43 38 24 40 150 307 294 260 228 40 100 182 26 159 150 148 158 50 88 80 0 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
Predmeti okončani u fazi istrage Predmeti okončani podizanjem optužnice
Ne rezultira svaki predmet u kojem se provodi istraga postup- U 2025. godini, u vrijeme objavljivanja, Nadzorno tijelo za kom pred sudom. Mnogi od njih se okončaju u fazi istrage praćenje provedbe Revidirane strategije odlučilo je zatražiti iz legitimnih razloga, kao što su nedostatak dokaza, smrt od Vijeća ministara BiH da dodatno produži rokove utvrđe- osumnjičenog ili smrt ključnog svjedoka. ne Revidiranom strategijom do 2028. godine. Uprkos ovom produženju, i dalje je neizvjesno hoće li pravosuđe uspjeti Od 2.652 riješene prijave od 2014. godine, tužioci su okončati sve preostale predmete s poznatim osumnjičeni- okončali 2.054 bez podizanja optužnice, između osta- ma, a kamoli one s nepoznatim osumnjičenima, do novog log, donošenjem naredbe o obustavi ili neprovođenju istra- roka. Misija će nastaviti sa praćenjem i analizom rada pra- ge, ustupanjem predmeta drugim sudovima i tužilaštvima ili vosudnih institucija na svim nivoima u BiH u njihovim napo- spajanjem predmeta. Iako se ovi načini okončanja predmeta rima da riješe preostale predmete i tako ostvare pravdu za često zanemaruju u odnosu na presuđene predmete, oni ipak žrtve koje je još uvijek čekaju. čine značajan udio u ukupnom obimu posla tužilaštava. Percepcija javnosti o odgovoru pravosuđa na ratne zločine11 Na osnovu istraživanja koje je provela Misija, iako je u Bosni i Hercegovini okončano gotovo 800 sudskih postupaka u predmetima ratnih zločina, građani BiH u ogromnoj mjeri sma- traju da pravda nije postignuta i da posljedice sukoba ostaju nerazriješene.
Dvije trećine ispitanika (65%) smatra da su posljedice rata riješene samo djelimično ili nisu nikako riješene, dok samo 3% misli da su u potpunosti razriješene.
Slično tome, 69% ispitanika smatra da je pravda postignuta samo djelimično ili nikako. Rezultati istraživanja ukazuju na veliki raskorak između obima rada pravosudnih institucija i percepcije javnosti o postignutoj pravdi.
Percepcije o radu pravosudnog sektora dijelom zavise od stepena informisanosti i povjerenja. Većina ispitanika (oko 60%) navodi da nisu nikako ili su samo donekle upoznati s procesuiranjima ratnih zločina pred domaćim institucija- ma. Čak i među onima koji su informisani, postupci se često Ipak, čak i suočeni s neispunjenim očekivanjima, vid- ocjenjuju kao neefikasni u rješavanju zločina počinjenih to- ljivim nedostacima, ograničenom informisanošću i kom rata. Samo 4% ispitanika smatra da su takva suđenja dubokim nepovjerenjem, velika većina (69%) i dalje efikasna, 28% da su donekle efikasna, dok ih 44% smatra smatra važnim nastaviti s procesuiranjem predmeta neefikasnim — često zbog percipiranog političkog uticaja, ratnih zločina pred domaćim institucijama, a gotovo sporosti, korupcije i blagih kazni. Mnogi smatraju da su krivič- isto toliko (67%) smatra da bi bilo malo prihvatljivo ili ni postupci pod uticajem političkih pritisaka (50%), korupcije neprihvatljivo da se ti postupci više ne vode. (64%) ili etničke pristrasnosti (52%). Ukratko, iako većina građana nema puno povjerenja u instituci- 11 Navedeni podaci su prikupljeni putem istraživanja javnog mnijenja koje je je koje vode postupke za ratne zločine i nisu naročito zadovoljni na nivou BiH provela kompanija Prism Research and Consulting u martu njihovim radom, oni ipak ne žele potpuno odustati od proce- i aprilu 2025. godine, uz podršku Misije i Harvard Humanitarian Initiative, koristeći zajednički osmišljen protokol i mjerni instrument. Potpuni podaci suiranja, što vjerovatno odražava uvjerenje da je privođenje i analiza će biti objavljeni naknadno. počinitelja pravdi, čak i uz sve nedostatke, i dalje neophodno.
Povjerenje javnosti u rad pravosuđa na Informisanost javnosti o procesuiranju predmetima ratnih zločina ratnih zločina u BiH Veliko Umjereno Malo Nema 12% 39% 25%
30% 27% 28%
35%
5%
Postotak Mala Umjerena Velika Nikakva
Za više informacija Misija OSCE-a u Bosni i Hercegovini skenirajte QR kod. Fra Anđela Zvizdovića 1, UNITIC Toranj A 71000 Sarajevo Bosna i Hercegovina Tel: +387-(0)33 952 100 Fax: +387-(0)33 442 479 press.ba@osce.org www.osce.org/bih
Pratite Misiju OSCE-a u BiH
War Crimes Case Processing in Bosnia and Herzegovina (2004 – 2024) 1
Since 2004,1the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina War Crimes Case Backlog Among All BiH (Mission) has conducted comprehensive trial monitoring of Jurisdictions war crimes cases processed before courts in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH).2 In 2014, to complement this trial monitor- POs across BiH carry a substantial backlog of war crimes ing, the Mission began collecting and analysing data regard- cases, with the backlog defined as the number of war crimes ing the pre-indictment backlog of all reported potential war cases reported to but not yet processed by POs in all BiH crimes. Following the practice established by the Mission, the jurisdictions. In addition to 253 war crimes cases with an High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council of BiH now similarly identified suspect (KTRZ), this backlog also consists of 2,700 collects backlog data on a biannual basis. Drawing on these reported war crimes that lack an identified suspect (KTNRZ) data sources, this report provides a statistical overview of all or where the commission of a crime has not yet been estab- closed and ongoing war crimes cases before courts (post- lished (KTARZ). Progress in addressing these KTNRZ and indictment) and prosecutor’s offices (PO) (pre-indictment) in KTARZ cases has been limited, making future indictments BiH.3 This report also highlights key trends in the processing increasingly unlikely. of conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) cases. To promote the effective and efficient processing of the case backlog, the National War Crimes Processing Strategy 1 This factsheet predominantly presents information available to and veri- (Strategy) – adopted in 2008 and revised in 2020 (Revised fied by the Mission as of 31 December 2024. Because the Mission has Strategy)4 – requires that the Prosecutor’s Office of BiH (PO tracked different data over different periods of time, date ranges for pro- vided data may vary. In addition, in conducting its analyses, the Mission BiH) prioritize the most complex cases, based on criteria has accounted for the inevitable impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the work and efficiency of the domestic judiciary. 4 The Revised Strategy provides criteria for assessing the factual and le- gal complexity of cases. See, Annex A of the Revised Strategy. While 2 The term “war crimes” is used to denote cases involving allegations of the significant amendments were made to the Strategy during the revision crime of genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes arising from process, the substance of the main Strategic Objectives remained largely violations of international humanitarian law. unaltered, thus ensuring continuity and consistency in the implementation 3 To preserve the objectivity of the Mission’s trial monitoring programme, any of the Strategy following its revision. Unless otherwise indicated, all refer- discussion of ongoing cases, including those in the pre-indictment phase, ences herein to the Strategic Objectives can be read as being to both the has been limited to quantitative data. Such cases are never directly identified. original and the Revised Strategy.
Backlog Overview 2437 2500 2373 2350 2276 2079 2000 1732 1518 1457 1500 1407 No. of cases
1249 1240 1243 1042 1054 1048 1082 1009 948 1000 846 773 698 621 571 495 500 395 322 253
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 Total KTRZ backlog 1009 948 846 773 698 621 571 495 395 322 253 Total KTARZ backlog 0 0 0 2437 2373 2350 2276 2079 1732 1518 1243 Total KTNRZ backlog 0 0 0 1042 1054 1048 1082 1249 1240 1407 1457 Transferred Cases (2009 - 2024)* Jurisdiction Category transferred 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 Total of case to
KTARZ 0 3 1 11 6 2 1 2 2 5 0 0 2 5 5 10 55 Federation of BiH KTNRZ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 83 34 118 93 40 36 29 434 (FBiH) KTRZ 3 31 15 134 37 32 20 25 13 38 16 38 16 10 4 11 443
KTARZ 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 0 2 6 1 0 0 7 4 6 29 Republika KTNRZ 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 9 13 69 71 36 30 35 264 Srpska (RS) KTRZ 3 9 8 70 13 9 11 4 5 24 10 24 8 7 2 0 207
KTARZ 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 2 6 Brčko District of KTNRZ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 11 18 5 2 3 40 BiH (BD BIH) 0 0 KTRZ 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 0 7
TOTAL 6 45 25 217 58 43 32 31 24 167 75 260 209 114 83 96 1485
* “Transferred cases” refers to those cases transferred from the Court of BiH to be processed by entity-level and Brčko District of BiH courts, pursuant to Article 27/27a of the Criminal Procedure Code of BiH. This chart includes data from 2009, following the adoption of National War Crimes Process- ing Strategy, through the end of 2024.
related to the gravity of the offense and the capacity and role Portion of CRSV Cases among of the suspect, and transfer, in conjunction with the Court Transferred Cases (2009-2024) of BiH,5 less complex cases to courts in the Federation of BiH (FBiH), Republika Srpska (RS) and Brčko District of BiH 157 (BDBiH). In 2018, following the initial slow pace of transfers, a 11% series of discussions facilitated by the Mission resulted in the PO BiH assessing its KTRZ backlog and purporting to transfer its remaining less-complex cases to the entities and BDBiH. All cases remaining with PO BiH should thus qualify as complex 1328 cases under Annex A of the Revised Strategy. 89% Notably, out of 1,485 cases transferred, the PO BiH has only transferred 157 cases involving CRSV, potentially reflecting the categorization of CRSV cases as complex. Non-CRSV CRSV The Mission notes with concern that over 80 per cent of KTNRZ cases have been transferred from the PO BiH to district and cantonal POs. The absence of an identified suspect hinders an accurate assessment of whether a given case is appropriate for transfer per the relevant factors of the Annex A criteria.6 While the entity and BDBiH POs generally have the capacity to investigate and prosecute war crimes, they have significantly limited human resources as compared to the PO BiH and lack access to the State Investigation and Protection Agency’s (SIPA) specialized war crimes in- vestigative units.7 This reduces the likelihood of identifying the suspects.
5 See Art. 7(1) of the Law on Court of BiH – Consolidated Version, Official Gazette of BiH nos. 49/09, 74/09, 97/09). 6 A Race against Time - Successes and Challenges in the Implementation of the National War Crimes Processing Strategy of Bosnia and Herzegov- ina (2022) pp. 23-25, War Crimes Case Management at the Prosecutor’s Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina (2019), p. 16. 7 A Race against Time - Successes and Challenges in the Implementation of the National War Crimes Processing Strategy of Bosnia and Herze- govina (2022) p. 25. Indictments Confirmed (2014 - 2024) (number of defendants shown in parentheses)
2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 Level of jurisdiction Cases Cases Cases Cases Cases Cases Cases Cases Cases Cases Cases
State level 57 (116) 49 (131) 36 (90) 30 (67) 36 (98) 17 (40) 12 (32) 16 (43) 24 (72) 14 (65) 12 (51)
FBiH 21 (26) 20 (22) 21 (34) 12 (17) 11 (17) 13 (14) 3 (3) 11 (12) 11 (14) 15 (28) 4 (6)
RS 16 (25) 15 (18) 12 (18) 7 (15) 10 (13) 5 (5) 3 (4) 3 (3) 9 (16) 7 (10) 4 (5)
BD BiH 3 (4) 1 (1) 0 0 2 (2) 1 (2) 1 (1) 0 0 1 (1) 0 (0)
Total: 539 97 (171) 85 (172) 69 (142) 49 (99) 59 (130) 36 (61) 19 (40) 30 (58) 44 (102) 37 (104) 20 (62)
* The data draws on monitoring conducted by the Mission under the auspices of the EU-funded WCMP, which began in 2014.
Ongoing Cases (post-indictment) As of the end of 2024, there were 226 ongoing cases across all BiH jurisdictions. Of these, 11 were awaiting confirmation of Ongoing War Crimes Cases the indictment; 98 were at the pre-plea stage; 21 were await- 2 ing the start of the main trial; and 96 were in main trial, retrial 1% or appeal proceedings. 53 cases involving 121 defendants – comprising nearly a quarter of all war crimes cases pending 43 before courts across all jurisdictions in BiH – involve CRSV. 19%
Even as the number of indictments confirmed on an annual ba- 123 54% sis across all BiH jurisdictions has declined significantly since 58 2014, CRSV cases consistently comprise approximately 26% one-fourth of newly confirmed indictments.
With nearly 3,000 cases in the pre-indictment backlog re- maining and time literally running out to process them, with Court of BiH FBIH RS BDBiH memories fading and witnesses, victims and suspects aging and dying, the justice sector – prosecutor’s offices, courts and law enforcement – must continue to focus on the com- pletion of the most complex war crimes cases and the resolu- tion of the backlog.
The unavailability of defendants to the courts presents a ma- jor obstacle to the completion of nearly one-half of ongoing cases across all jurisdictions in BiH. Of the 226 cases in the post-indictment phase at the end of 2024, 114 defendants in a total of 103 cases were unavailable to the relevant domestic court, primarily because they are located abroad and cannot be extradited.8 The unavailability of defendants is equally prevalent among KTRZ cases in POs’ pre-indict- ment backlogs, of which nearly one-half involve one or more suspects believed to be located abroad.
8 This data was reported by the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Enhancing War Crime Case Processing in BiH Project. Closed Cases By the end of 2024, the domestic judiciary had adjudicated a total of 773 war crimes cases involving 1,209 defen- Ratio of CRSV to Non-CRSV dants. More than one-quarter of adjudicated war crimes Adjudicated Cases (2004-2024) cases involved CRSV, amounting to 200 cases involv- ing a combined 298 defendants.9 The percentage of war crimes prosecutions involving CRSV has remained relatively consistent over time. 200 26%
Despite the substantial number of adjudicated cases, 253 KTRZ cases involving 2,447 known suspects remain to be pro- 573 cessed as of end of 2024. Notwithstanding these outstanding 74% cases, the annual rate of case completion declined precipi- tously following the outbreak of COVID-19 and remains below a pre-pandemic high of 67 cases against 96 defendants. CRSV completed War Crimes Completed Examining cases reaching a final and binding verdict, the Mission notes with concern an overall decline in cases re- sulting in convictions since 2016. Since 2022, the average conviction rate per defendant before all courts has been con- Courts have rarely awarded victim compensation, despite sistently below 60 per cent. Moreover, since 2017, the State- the legal authority and obligation under the respective crimi- level conviction rate has been consistently below that of the nal procedure codes to do so, which also raises concerns. average entity-level rate. While acquittals necessarily form Of the mere 23 cases in which compensation was part of a functioning judicial system, this trend could indicate awarded (out of 499 total cases with a final and bind- a deterioration in the quality of investigations, indictments, ing conviction), 17 involved CRSV. and trial advocacy and management, especially at the State- level.10 In CRSV cases, both the average (75 per cent) and, with rare exception, the annual conviction rates have been higher than those of non-CRSV cases.
9 In its public reports, the Mission has analysed various aspects of the in- vestigation and prosecution of CRSV cases before the domestic judiciary. See, Towards Justice for Survivors of Conflict-Related Sexual Violence Awarded Compensation Claims in in Bosnia and Herzegovina: Progress before Courts in BiH 2014–2016 Completed Cases (2004 – 2024) (2017), Combating Impunity for Conflict-Related Sexual Violence in Bosnia and Herzegovina: Progress and Challenges – Vol. I: An analysis of criminal proceedings before the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina between 2005 and 2013 (2014), and Vol. II: An analysis of criminal proceedings before 20 No. of cases
the courts of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Republika Srpska 15 17 and Brčko District BiH between 2004 and 2014 (2015). 10 10 10 See, amongst others, A Race against Time - Successes and Challenges 5 3 4 6 6 in the Implementation of the National War Crimes Processing Strategy of 0 Bosnia and Herzegovina (2022), and War Crimes Case Management at FBiH RS State level Grand Total the Prosecutor’s Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina (2019), as well as re- Fully awarded 4 3 10 17 ports prepared by Judge Joanna Korner, Processing of War Crimes at the Partially awarded 0 0 6 6 State Level in Bosnia and Herzegovina (2016) and Improving War Crimes Processing At The State Level In Bosnia and Herzegovina - A Follow-Up Report By Her Honour Judge Joanna Korner CMG QC (2020).
Conviction Rate in Final Verdicts (2004 - 2024) 100%
90%
80%
70% Conviction rate
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0% 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 State level (Average 63%) 0% 0% 100% 88% 85% 65% 78% 76% 78% 60% 86% 83% 70% 58% 39% 71% 50% 90% 39% 49% 51% Entity and BDBiH (Average 71%) 100% 35% 78% 61% 87% 60% 85% 60% 76% 82% 61% 85% 58% 71% 68% 78% 62% 89% 74% 54% 83% Total (Average 67%) 100% 35% 79% 67% 86% 63% 83% 67% 76% 67% 75% 84% 65% 64% 49% 74% 55% 90% 49% 51% 58% CRSV (Average 75%) 100% 67% 100% 70% 90% 75% 100% 73% 100% 67% 71% 89% 70% 89% 75% 78% 0% 73% 80% 33% 60% War Crimes Cases Adjudicated (2004 - 2024) 80
70
60 No. of cases
50
40
30
20
10
0 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 Court of BiH (353) 0 0 2 8 13 17 10 16 9 18 22 27 29 24 27 35 15 18 30 17 16 BDBiH (23) 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 3 2 2 3 1 1 1 0 2 1 2 0 FBiH (252) 5 9 12 11 13 2 8 13 6 9 15 17 21 20 19 16 6 12 13 19 6 RS (145) 0 1 4 5 4 9 4 6 12 10 12 12 14 11 7 7 6 4 6 5 6 Grand Total (773) 5 11 18 25 30 29 23 35 28 40 51 58 67 56 54 59 27 36 50 43 28
Total Reported Cases Completed (2014-2024) 450
400
350 104 70 101 300
250 52
60 200 43 38 24 40 150 307 294 260 228 40 100 26 182 159 150 148 158 50 88 80
0 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
Cases completed without indictment Cases completed with indictment
Not all reported war crimes cases that are investigated result In 2025, as of time of publication, the Supervisory Body in an indictment. Many are closed during the investigation for monitoring the implementation of the Revised Strategy phase, including for legitimate reasons such as lack of evi- determined to request that the Council of Ministers of BiH dence or the death of a suspect or a key witness. further extend the deadlines set by the Revised Strategy through 2028. Despite this extension, it remains uncer- Of the 2,652 reported cases closed since 2014, prosecu- tain that the judiciary will be able to complete all remaining tors have closed 2,054 without filing an indictment, in- cases with known suspects, let alone cases with unknown cluding by means such as filing an order to suspend or not to suspects, by the new deadline. The Mission will continue to conduct an investigation, transferring the case to another ju- monitor and analyse the work of judicial institutions across risdiction, or case merger. While these methods of completion BiH as they address the remaining cases and work towards often receive less attention than adjudicated cases, they none- ensuring justice for victims. theless constitute a substantial portion of POs’ workloads. Public Perceptions of Judicial Responses to War Crimes11
Based on a survey conducted by the Mission, despite the completion of nearly 800 domestic war crimes trials, BiH citizens overwhelmingly perceive that justice has not been achieved and the legacy of the conflict remains unaddressed.
Two-thirds (65 per cent) of respondents feel the war’s consequences have been dealt with only slightly or not at all, while just 3 per cent believe they have been fully addressed.
Similarly, 69 per cent say justice itself has been achieved only slightly or not at all. The survey results point to a sig- nificant gap between the scale of judicial activity and public perceptions of accountability.
Perceptions of the justice sector’s efforts are shaped in part by levels of awareness and trust. A majority of respondents (around 60 per cent) report being only slightly or not at all aware of domestic war crimes prosecutions. Even among those who are aware, trials are often judged to be ineffective Yet even in the face of unmet expectations, tangible in addressing crimes committed during the war. Just 4 per failings, limited awareness and deep distrust, a strong cent found such trials to be effective, while 28 per cent said majority (69 per cent) still consider it important to con- they were somewhat effective, and 44 per cent found them tinue domestic prosecutions, and nearly as many (67 ineffective, often because of perceived political influences, per cent) say it would be only slightly or not at all ac- slowness, corruption and lenient sentences. Many perceive ceptable to bring such prosecutions to a halt. trials as affected by political interference (50 per cent), cor- ruption (64 per cent), or ethnic bias (52 per cent). In sum, while most citizens express little faith in or satisfac- tion with the institutions conducting war crimes trials, they 11 The cited data was obtained through a country-wide public opinion poll con- remain unwilling to abandon prosecutions altogether, likely ducted by Prism Research and Consulting in March and April 2025 with the support of the Mission and the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative using a jointly reflecting a conviction that accountability, even imperfectly developed protocol and instrument. The full data and analysis are forthcoming. delivered, remains indispensable.
Public Trust in the Judiciary’s Public Awareness of Domestic Processing of War Crimes Cases War Crimes Prosecutions High Moderate Slight None 12% 39% 25%
30% 27% 28%
35%
5%
Percentage Slight Moderate Very Not at all
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