Statement of the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia on the arrest of Radovan Stanković

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Radovan Stanković

The Office of the Prosecutor welcomes the arrest today of Radovan Stanković in Bosnia and Herzegovina. 

Radovan Stanković, a former member of Serb paramilitary forces, was indicted by the ICTY for crimes against humanity and war crimes, including rape committed in Foča, Bosnia and Herzegovina, in 1992. He was transferred by the Tribunal to Bosnia and Herzegovina in September 2005 pursuant to Rule 11bis of the Rules of Procedure and Evidence of the Tribunal. He was convicted by the State Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina to a 20-year sentence but escaped from prison in Foča in May 2007.

In relation to the arrest, Serge Brammertz, the Prosecutor, stated the following:

“We are satisfied that Radovan Stanković, initially indicted by the Tribunal and transferred to Bosnia and Herzegovina where he was convicted, has finally been apprehended, more than four years after he escaped from the prison in Foča.

The Office of the Prosecutor has repeatedly called for the arrest of Radovan Stanković. In the last report to the UN Security Council, we emphasized the importance of apprehending Stanković, which remained a critical challenge for Bosnia and Herzegovina and other States of the former Yugoslavia.

Today’s apprehension of Stanković is significant for the victims of the grave crimes he has been convicted for. I hope that this arrest reflects an increased commitment of the authorities of Bosnia and Herzegovina to support the process of bringing to justice those responsible for the grave crimes committed on their territory in the early 1990s.”

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International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia
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