The Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina /BiH/ rendered and delivered in open session a Trial Judgment in the case of Mehmed Alešević on 21 February 2022, finding the Accused Mehmed Alešević guilty of the criminal offense of War Crime against the Civilian Population under Article 142(1) of the Criminal Code of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, as read with Article thereof. The Court sentenced the Accused to five (5) years' imprisonment.

The accused Mehmed Alešević was found guilty because he, during the armed conflict in Bosnia and Herzegovina between members of the 5th Corps of the Army of the Republic of BiH, of the one part, and members of the National Defense of the Autonomous Province of Western Bosna, of the other part, in the territory of municipalities of Cazin, Velika Kladuša and Bužim, in an improvised prison established at the HQ of the 505th Bužim Brigade of the 5th Corps of the Army of the Republic of BiH quartered at the former hotel Radoč in Bužim, in the period from the beginning of December 1994 until the end of April 1995, as administrative officer at the Military Police Platoon of the 505th Bužim Brigade, in concert with other members of the 505th Bužim Brigade of the 5th Corps of the Army of the Republic of BiH, acted in violation of the rules of international humanitarian law, thereby breaching the provisions of common article 3(1)(a) and (c) of the Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War.

Under the same judgment, the accused Mehmed Alešević was acquitted of some of the charges as indicated in the enacting clause of the judgment, whereby he would have committed the criminal offense of War Crimes against Prisoners of War under Article 175(a) of the Criminal Code /CC/ of BiH, as read with Article 180(1) of the CC BiH, taken in conjunction with Article 29 of the CC BiH.

The Court dismissed the charge that the accused Mehmed Alešević committed the criminal offense of War Crimes against Civilians under Article 173(1)(c) of the CC BiH, as read with Article 180(1) of the CC BiH, taken in conjunction with Article 29 of the CC BiH.

Appeal against this judgment may be filed to a Panel of the Appellate Division of the Court of BiH, within 15 (fifteen) days after service of a written copy of the judgment.