Radmanovic: Release of Dudakovic is catastrophic decision

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Bosnian Serb politician Nebojsa Radmanovic, a senior member of the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats (SNSD), said the State Court's decision to release the Bosnian Army commander Atif Dudakovic and his 12 co-defendants was catastrophic.

Despite the prosecution's request for the suspects to remain in custody, the Bosnian State Court ordered on Sunday the release of Dudakovic and his 12 co-defendants.

“If you take a deep look that was expected,” commented Radmanovic for N1, adding that there were other cases where persons from the rank of Bosniaks were released despite, as he said, countless pieces of evidence for committing or ordering crimes.

According to him, this shows the situation in which the Bosnia's state judiciary is. He deems there is a huge mistrust “at all sides” towards the selection of judges and prosecutors, and their work. 

Bosnian authorities arrested Dudakovic and 12 other members of his Fifth Corps the last Friday. They stand accused of war crimes, committed between 1994 and 1995, and related to the alleged killing of hundreds of captured Serb soldiers from the area of western Krajina region and Bosniak civilians who supported the Autonomous Province of West Bosnia during 1994 – a structure run by Bosniaks who rebelled against the Sarajevo government.

Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik earlier said that the decision to release Dudakovic was a sign that Bosnia's judiciary under “constant pressure and influence by Bosniak political and religious elites.”