|
| Updated: 25 October 1999 | NATO Press Releases |
|
Press Release 140 25 Oct. |
Statement by NATO Secretary General Lord Robertson SFOR Detains Person indicted for War Crimes On 25 October 1999, SFOR detained Damir Dosen, who is indicted for war crimes by the International Criminal Tribunal for Yugoslavia (ICTY). He is now being processed for transfer to The Hague. Details will be provided in due course by the operational commanders. Damir Dosen is under an open indictment for war crimes committed between 24 May and 30 August 1992. He was a shift-commander of the Keraterm camp just outside Prijedor, in northwestern Bosnia and Herzegovina. Detainees at Keraterm camp were killed, sexually assaulted, tortured, beaten, and otherwise subjected to cruel and inhuman treatment. Dosen is accused of crimes aginst humanity, violations of the laws or customs of war, and grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions of 1949. This action was undertaken in accordance with SFOR's mandate that authorizes detention operations for such persons. It was within the mandate given to SFOR by the North Atlantic Council under authority contained in the relevant United Nations Security Council Resolutions. The parties to the Dayton Peace Agreement remain responsible for cooperating in the investigation and prosecution of war crimes and other violations of international/humanitarian law. SFOR will continue to do its part by carrying out its mandate in a firm and even-handed manner. Persons indicted for war crimes or otherwise involved in war crimes, who are still at large, should realize that they too will be brought to justice. Once again I call on these people to surrender immediately to the ICTY. SACEUR, as overall commander for SFOR, has kept me fully informed of this action. I should like to commend the SFOR troops and their commanders for their courage, professionalism and dedication in carrying out this action, which will contribute to the continued consolidation of the peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina. |
|||||||
|
||||||||