On Monday, 27 November 2023, the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina pronounced a Judgment in the case of Predrag Markočević et al. (S1 1 K 026829 18 Kri) acquitting the accused Predrag Markočević and Marinko Đukić of the charges that by the acts described in the operative part of the Judgment they committed the criminal offense of Crimes against Humanity under Article 172(1)h), as read with Subparagraphs a), e), f) and k) CC BiH, all in conjunction with Article 180(1) and Articles 21 and 29 CC BiH.

The accused are charged that between April and late December 1992, during an armed conflict in Bosnia and Herzegovina, in the framework of a widespread and systematic attack launched by military and police forces of the Serb Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, subsequently Republika Srpska, targeting the Muslim and Croat civilian population from the territory of Teslić municipality, knowing of the attack and that their actions form a part of the attack, Predrag Markočević in his capacity as Commander of the Teslić Public Security Station, and Marinko Đukić in his capacity as Head of the Criminal Division of the Public Security Station in Teslić, being part of the leadership of the Public Security Station in Teslić, together with a military-police formation dubbed Miće, acting with a discriminatory intent, knowingly participated in planning, preparing and committing the persecution of the Muslim and Croat civilian population of Teslić municipality on national, ethnic and religious grounds, by way of killings, detention and other serious acts of deprivation of physical liberty, in violation of the basic rules of international law, torture and other inhuman acts of similar nature, committed with the intent to inflict great suffering or serious physical or mental injury or deterioration of health.

The Court has also issued a Decision lifting the restrictive measures previously imposed on the accused Predrag Markočević and Marinko Đukić by Court of BiH Decision of 2 October 2023, and ordered that all the seized travel and other documents be returned to the accused. The Court also lifted the ban on the issuance of new travel documents and ban on the use of an ID to cross the state border.

An appeal from the Judgment may be filed with the Appellate Division Panel of the Court within 15 (fifteen) days of the day when a written copy of the Judgment was received.