Aleksandar Cvetkovic, who allegedly took part in the massacres of Muslim population – Bosnian area of Srebrenica, Bosnia, was arrested and will be extradited to Bosnia to be prosecuted on suspicion of genocide, Israel’s Supreme Court decided on Thursday.
Cvetkovic was arrested in January, 2011, after a Bosnian court issued a warrant for his arrest for crimes of genocide and crimes against humanity during massacres that took place in July, 1995. The “Srebrenica massacre” involved transporting hundreds of Bosnians to a farm where they were shot and buried in mass graves. That massacre has been recognized by the international community as genocide.
The Israeli judge ruled that Bosnia must meet conditions that will ensure Cvetkovic’s safety, otherwise he would not be extradited. Accordingly, the judge ruled that the Bosnia government must hold him in a separate, secure wing, and allow him to receive visits of the Israeli Consul. Also, should he be found guilty, his punishment must be in line with the protocol established by the European Court of Human Rights.
The Bosnian authorities estimates the number of victims murdered in the farm at between 1,000 and 1,200 Bosnian Muslim men. The farm murders were part of the overall campaign waged by the Serb-Bosnian armed forces against the Muslim population of the Srebrenica enclave, during which 7,500 people were killed.
Cvetkovic, 42, immigrated to Israel with his Jewish wife and children in 2006 and received Israeli citizenship. According to the investigation material provided to the Israeli prosecution, Cvetkovic was part of the eight-soldier firing squad that executed the Bosnian victims.
The Government of Bosnia-Herzegovina asked Israel back in August of 2010 to extradite Cvetkovic, after a court in Sarajevo had issued a warrant for his arrest on charges of genocide and crimes against humanity. Justice Minister Prof. Yaakov Neeman then decided to open extradition proceedings against him.