Having examined the report presented to the Office of the High Representative on Friday 30 September the High Representative recognizes that the RS Government has finally complied with the HR’s requirements as set out in his decision. Finally, the RS Government has taken its obligations seriously, and has now made available the information that they had in their possession about the crimes that took place in Srebrenica in the period from 11 – 19 July 1995.
Following many delays the OHR takes note that the report, with all it’s annexes, and signed by all members of the Working Group today, represents a serious attempt to comprehensively catalogue all persons implicated in the crimes in the Srebrenica area in the period from 11 – 19 July 1995. The Srebrenica Working Group and the RS Government have finally met the requirements placed upon them.
No names from the report will be made public to ensure that subsequent investigations, prosecutions, and eventual convictions, are not undermined. The OHR expects the BIH Prosecutors will prioritise their investigations to focus initially on individuals who are still holding an office in RS or BiH institutions
The annexes presented in the report do not assess the level of responsibility nor are they evidence of an individual being guilty of committing a crime. The report and the documents are now being forwarded to the BiH Prosecutors Office, who will need to process this information and decide how to proceed with any investigations. OHR trusts that any investigations will be pursued thoroughly and impartially.
The information presented is based on currently available material only. Fresh evidence doubtless waits to be uncovered. Although the list is comprehensive at this moment the emergence of new names linked to these crimes cannot be excluded. When this does happen the RS Government is required to present that information to the BiH Prosecutors.
The OHR firmly believes that no investigation can replace those loved ones tragically lost, but by breaching the wall of silence that has surrounded these events for almost a decade those who lost loved ones have an opportunity to get the answers they have sought since July 1995, and to see justice served. Only by applying the rule of law and the full judicial process through the appropriate international and domestic institutions can this be done.