Former Croatian Military Commander Pleads Guilty to Violating Geneva Conventions

November 8 – The International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) announced recently that Ivica Rajic, the former commander of the Croatian Defense Council’s (“HVO”) Second Operational Group in the Central Bosnia Operative Zone, based in Kiseljak, pled guilty to four counts of violations of the Geneva Conventions. According to an ICTY statement, Rajic pled guilty to:

• Count 1, willful killing, a grave breach of the Geneva Conventions of 1949 punishable under Article 2(a) of the Tribunal Statute;

• Count 3, inhumane treatment (including sexual assault), a grave breach of the Geneva Conventions of 1949 punishable under Article 2(a) of the Tribunal Statute;

• Count 7, appropriation of property, a grave breach of the Geneva Conventions of 1949 punishable under Article 2(d) of the Tribunal Statute; and

• Count 9, extensive destruction not justified by military necessity and carried out unlawfully and wantonly, a grave breach of the Geneva Conventions of 1949 punishable under Article 2(d) of the Tribunal Statute.

A sentencing hearing is tentatively scheduled for November 28. A single combined prison sentence of 12 to 15 years was reportedly agreed upon by Rajic and the Prosecutor of the ICTY as part of the guilty plea.

Last updated November 8, 2005

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