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Press Release . Communiqué de presse
(Exclusively for the use of the media. Not an official document)
The Hague, 30 September 2002
CC/P.I.S./695e
LJUBOMIR BOROVČANIN:
INDICTMENT UNSEALED
FOR HIS ALLEGED PARTICIPATION IN CRIMES COMMITTED AFTER THE TAKE-OVER OF THE SREBRENICA ENCLAVE
On Friday 27 September 2002, Judge Schomburg ordered the unsealing of the Indictment against Ljubomir Borovčanin, which was originally confirmed on 6 September 2002.
The Accused
Ljubomir Borovčanin was born in February 1960 in Han Pijesak. During the attack on the Srebrenica enclave by Bosnian Serb forces in July 1995, and the subsequent killings and executions of Bosnian Muslim men and boys, Ljubomir Borovčanin served as Deputy Commander of the Bosnian Serb MUP Special Police Brigade (SPB). On 10 July 1995, he was appointed Commander of a joint force of MUP units and was ordered to report to Radislav Krstić, then Chief of Staff of the Drina Corps of the Bosnia Serb Army (VRS).
Factual Allegations
Ljubomir Borovčanin was present in and around the areas of Bratunac, Potočari, Sandići, Kravica, Srebrenica and Zvornik from 11 July to 18 July 1995. Units under his command were deployed in and around the areas of Potočari, Sandići, Kravica and Zvornik from 12 July to 18 July 1995.
In the several days following the attack on Srebrenica, VRS and MUP forces captured, detained, summarily executed, and buried over 7,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys from the Srebrenica enclave, and forcibly transferred the Bosnian Muslim women and children of Srebrenica out of the enclave. The Indictment against Ljubomir Borovčanin refers to his alleged involvment in: opportunist killings in Potočari, opportunistic killings in Bratunac, wide-scale and organised killings in Potočari and Tišča, killings and mistreatment of prisoners captured along the Bratunac/Milići road and wide-scale and organised killings in the Zvornik area, as well as other opportunistic killings.
Ljubomir Borovčanin, together with other VRS and MUP officers and units as identified in this Indictment, was a member of and knowingly participated in a Joint Criminal Enterprise, the common purpose of which was, among other things: to forcibly transfer the women and children from the Srebrenica enclave to Kladanj, on 12 July and 13 July 1995; and to capture, detain, summarily execute by firing squad, bury, and rebury thousands of Bosnian Muslim men and boys aged 16 to 60 from the Srebrenica enclave from 12 July 1995 until and about 19 July 1995.
The Charges
The Indictment charges Ljubomir Borovčanin on the basis of his individual criminal responsibility (Article 7(1) of the Statute) and superior criminal responsibility (Article 7(3) of the Statute) with:
• One count of complicity in genocide (Article 4 of the Statute – genocide; alternatively, complicity to commit genocide)
• Four counts of crimes against humanity ( Article 5 of the Statute – extermination, murder, persecutions on political, racial and religious grounds, inhumane acts)
• One count of violations of the laws or customs of war (Article 3 of the Statute – murder)
Joint Criminal Enterprise
The Joint Criminal Enterprise, in which Ljubomir Borov~anin was a member and participant, was conceived and designed by General Ratko Mladić and others on 11 and 12 July 1995, and administered and carried out by members of the VRS and MUP forces through the time period and by the means alleged in this Indictment.
Members of this Joint Criminal Enterprise also included: General Ratko Mladić, the Commander of the VRS, General Milenko Živanović, Commander of the Drina Corps through about 8 pm on July 13 1995; General Radislav Krstić, Chief of Staff/Deputy Commander through about 2000 hours on 13 July 1995 and thereafter Commander of the Drina Corps; Colonel Vidoje Blagojević, Commander of the Bratunac Brigade; Colonel Vinko Pandurević, Commander of the Zvornik Brigade; Lieutenant Colonel Dragan Obrenović, Deputy Commander and Chief of Staff of the Zvornik Brigade; Momir Nikolić, Assistant Commander for Security and Intelligence of the Bratunac Brigade; Dragan Jokić, Chief of Engineering of the Zvornik Brigade and various other individuals and military and police units.
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The full text of the indictment is available upon request from the Public Information Services. It is also available on the ICTY Internet site: www.un.org/icty
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