Vucic: Serbia, B-H Have Treaty on Non-Extradition of War Crimes Suspects

Aleksandar Vucic

President Aleksandar Vucic has said that Serbia cannot extradite war crimes suspects to Bosnia and Herzegovina or vice versa as the two countries have a non-extradition treaty.  

Speaking on TV Happy in the evening of Aug. 23, Vucic said that due to the treaty, Bosnia had never handed over to Serbia the former Bosnian Army commander of the Srebrenica region, Naser Oric, nor could Serbian extradite the persons wanted by Bosnia. “We have certain agreements in place with Bosnia and Herzegovina, but based on this treaty, it is absolutely clear that Bosnia will not be extraditing those wanted by Serbia and that Serbia will not be extraditing those wanted by Bosnia. That is why Bosnia has not extradited Naser Oric to Serbia,” Vucic explained.  

He stressed that “no one in Serbia will ever protect war criminals or anyone who has committed a war crime,” adding that it was necessary to talk with the Bosniaks and build normal relations with them.  

Vucic further said that Dusko Kornjaca, who had been accused of war crimes in Bosnia, became Serbia’s citizen in 2007 and had since been living working in Serbia. He explained that when Bosnia sought his handover, they knew that they had no right to do so.  

TV N1 has recently reported that the wartime commander of the municipality of Cajnice, Dusan Kornjaca, for whom Bosnia has issued a warrant on charges of the persecution of non-Serb population, has been living and working in Novi Sad for years now. Kornjaca has been located by a news reporting team from Sarajevo. On that occasion, Kornjaca seized a mobile from a reporter and came at him.