| PROSECUTION |
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Press Release |
| (Exclusively for the use of the media. Not an official document) | The Hague, 16 July 2007 OK/MOW/ PR1175e |
Statement of the Prosecutor
Last Tuesday, 10 July, Mr. Miroslav Lajèák, the new High Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina announced a number of very important orders and decisions that, in his words, 'will make the work of this country's prosecutors and police easier to investigate and prosecute persons suspected of war crimes and those who help them evade justice'. He also announced a decision which will 'make it harder for war criminals convicted by the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina to escape from prison'.
These measures include, among others, the collection of passports and travel documents of 93 persons investigated for war crimes and for being part of the network to help fugitives from the ICTY evade justice, the suspension of 35 individuals from that list who were serving members of the Republika Srpska (RS) police, as well as the order on the removal of Dragomir Andan from his position in the RS police where he served as the Deputy Head of Administration for Police Education of the Ministry of the Interior of the Republika Srpska.
Carla Del Ponte, the Tribunal's Prosecutor, welcomes these orders and decisions and commends the Office of the High Representative on its insistence on cooperation with the Tribunal's Office of the Prosecutor (OTP) and on its commitment to justice and the rule of law.
The Prosecutor also welcomes the future measures announced by the High Representative and counts on the continued support of his Office in all areas of concern to the OTP.