Bosnian Serb War Criminal in Custody

10/10/2004| IslamWeb

A former senior officer in the Bosnian Serb army has given himself up to the war crimes tribunal in The Hague, the Serbia and Montenegro government says. Ljubisa Beara was indicted more than two years ago in connection with the 1995 Srebrenica massacre. He was the head of security for the Bosnian Serb army and responsible for prisoners of war at the time. More than 7,500 Muslim men and boys from Srebrenica were killed in the most infamous crime of the Balkan wars. In March 2002 The Hague tribunal indicted Beara on charges of genocide or complicity to commit genocide. Prosecutors say he was directly responsible for killing Muslim prisoners and forcibly expelling thousands of women and children from Srebrenica. He is also accused of being part of what the tribunal calls a joint criminal enterprise with, among others, the head of the Bosnian Serb army, General Ratko Mladic - who is still at large. According to the government of Serbia and Montenegro, Beara said he was giving himself up to protect the interests of the state and those of his family. In previous extradition cases suspects have been put under intense pressure to surrender rather than be arrested, which is viewed by the authorities as a politically unpopular approach. Some 15 suspects believed to be in Serbia and Montenegro are wanted by international prosecutors. Beara's surrender follows a number of recent visits by high-profile foreign envoys intent on applying pressure on the Belgrade authorities to co-operate more closely with The Hague. **PHOTO CAPTION*** Srebrenica was the worst massacre of civilians since World War II. (AP)