06/10/2011 08/11

Notice of Decision by the High Representative to Lift the Bans Imposed on a Number of Former Public Officials by High Representative Decisions

The High Representative, by way of his Decisions dated 7 March 2003, 7 July 2003, 3 February 2004, 16 April 2004, 30 June 2004, 16 December 2004, 10 July 2007 and 30 May 2008, removed individuals listed in the Annex to this Notice of Decision (hereinafter: this Decision) from public and/or party positions that they held at the time. The Decisions also barred the individuals listed in the Annex of this Notice of Decision from holding any official, elective or appointive public office and from running in elections (“bans”). The removals and bans were imposed for obstruction of the implementation of the General Framework Agreement for Peace through a lack of co-operation with the International Criminal Tribunal for Former Yugoslavia (ICTY; the Tribunal).

Ratko Mladić, who was until recently the last individual at large under indictment by the ICTY in relation to crimes perpetrated in Bosnia and Herzegovina, was indicted in 1995 by the ICTY Office of the Prosecutor for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes, allegedly perpetrated during the period of 1992 to 1995 in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

After indictments against both Ratko Mladić and Radovan Karadžić were confirmed in 1995, warrants of arrest were transmitted to the then Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, the then Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the Bosnian Serb administration which subsequently became Republika Srpska. As the warrants were not executed, the Tribunal issued an international arrest warrant.

The Tribunal considered that the failure to arrest Karadžić and Mladić could be ascribed to the refusal of the then Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro) and Republika Srpska to cooperate with the ICTY. The Tribunal noted in particular that this failure was a breach of the obligations made on Republika Srpska’s behalf by the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in the Dayton Peace Agreement.

The United Nations Security Council also issued a number of resolutions urging compliance with the Tribunal.

Ratko Mladić evaded arrest for 16 years. Upon his arrest on 26 May 2011, and his transfer from the Republic of Serbia to the custody of the ICTY on 31 May 2011, the conditions to repeal the bans have been met. It is hereby expressly stated that bans imposed under the High Representative’s international mandate relating to the individuals listed in the Annex of this Decision are no longer in force.

This Decision does not entitle any of the individuals listed in the Annex to this Notice of Decision to restoration to the office from which they were removed pursuant to the Decisions nor does it imply any obligation on the part of employers to reinstate those individuals or to compensate them for loss of employment.

Further, this Decision does not entitle any individual listed in the Annex to this Decision to compensation or other forms of unvested monetary benefits or privileges or status forfeited as a result of the Decisions.

This Decision does not constitute an amnesty but rather a repeal, prospectively, of the Decisions. The Decisions are not expunged and remain as part of the legislative record of Bosnia and Herzegovina. 

This Decision does not affect or otherwise prejudice any pending or impending criminal proceedings in or outside of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

To the extent the terms of this Decision contradict domestic legislation on any of the subjects encompassed thereby, the former shall prevail.

This Decision has immediate effect and will not require any further procedural steps.

This Decision is published on the official web-site of the Office of the High Representative and shall be published without delay in the Official Gazette of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Official Gazette of the Republika Srpska.

Sarajevo, 10 June 2011                                                          

 

Dr. Valentin Inzko

High Representative

 

Annex:

List of Individuals Subject to the Notice of Decision by the High Representative to Lift the Ban Imposed on Number of Former Public Officials by the High Representative Decisions

  1. Milovan Bjelica                            

  2. Đojo Arsenović

  3. Dragomir Vasić 

  4. Dragan Bašević

  5. Veljko Borovčanin   

  6. Ivan Šarac  

  7. Mirko Šarović    

  8. Dejan Miletić        

  9. Cvetko Cvjetko Savić   

10. Pantelija Ćurguz      

11.  Nedjeljko Nedeljko Đekanović

12. Božidar Vučurević      

13. Cvjetan Cvijetin Nikić

14. Milan Ninković  

15. Duško Kornjača

16. Milan Tupajić      

17.  Rodoljub Đukanović 

18. Zoran Petrić        

19. Mile Pejčić

20. Zoran Đerić

21. Pero Šakota

22. Mirko Vojinović Bojinović

23. Svetislav Jokić  

24. Dragomir Keserović 

25. Vesna Ećim-Zlojutro       

26. Momčilo Komljenović      

27. Milenko Stanić             

28. Momir Tošić        

29. Mihajlo Mijanović         

30. RadomirLukić    

31. DragomirLjubojević 

32. Miloš Lazović          

33. Aleksandar Savić

34. Slavo Čeliković

35. Ljubisav Simić      

36. Dragan Vučković  

37. Predrag Perković

38. Mirko Delić        

39. Slavko Tošović 

40. Ljubomir Erić    

41. Stevan Tadić    

42. Novak Gojković         

43. Zoran Žuža        

44. Drago Dragutin Đurašinović 

45. Zvonko Bajagić       

46. Pantelija Damjanović    

47. Jovan Čizmović         

48. Radenko Damjanović    

49. Milorad Marić           

50. Milomir Mališ

51. Predrag Jovičić   

52. Petko Pavlović     

53. Milorad Bilbija  

54. Čedomir Popović  

55. Nade Radović      

56. Mrkša Skočajić         

57. Dragomir Andan

58. Predrag Ćeranić