Nikola Jorgić

Nikola Jorgić is a Bosnian Serb from the Doboj region who was the leader of a paramilitary group located in his native area.[1] On 26 September 1997, Nikola was convicted of genocide in Germany. This was the first conviction won against participants in the Bosnian Genocide. Nikola was sentenced to four terms of life imprisonment for his involvement in genocides in Bosnia.

Background

The Oberlandesgericht found that the paramilitary group had joined in the Serbian government's "ethnic cleansing" against the Muslim population. Jorgić, who had been a resident of Germany from May 1969 until 1992, was responsible for multiple atrocities. Among his actions was the massacre in Grabska where 22 villagers - including the elderly and disabled - were executed before the rest of the village's inhabitants were expelled. He was also responsible for the death of seven villagers in Sevarlije. Jorgić's appeal following his conviction was rejected by the German Bundesgerichtshof (Federal Supreme Court) on 30 April 1999.[2] On 12 July 2007, European Court of Human Rights dismissed Nikola Jorgić's appeal.[3][4]

Other Bosnian genocide-related convictions by the German courts include that of Maksim Sokolović, convicted on 29 November 1999, for aiding and abetting the crime of genocide and for grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions,[5] and Novislav Đajić. Đajić was indicted for participation in genocide, but the court failed to find that there was sufficient certainty for a criminal conviction that he had the intent to commit genocide. Nevertheless Đajić was found guilty of 14 cases of murder and one case of attempted murder.[6] At Đajić appeal on 23 May 1997, the Bavarian Appeals Chamber found that acts of genocide were committed in June 1992, confined within the administrative district of Foča.[7]

References

Further reading

Footnotes

  1. ↑ "Federal High Court of Germany: Translation of Press Release into English Nr. 39 on 30 April 1999: Federal High Court makes basic ruling on genocide". "Prevent Genocide International".
  2. ↑ "Jorgić, Nikola". haguejusticeportal.net.
  3. ↑ European Court of Human Rights - Jorgić v. Germany Judgment, July 12 2007.
  4. ↑ Europe's human rights court upholds life term for Bosnian Serb convicted of genocide - AP, 12 July 2007.
  5. ↑ Maksim Sokolovic, TRIAL (Track Impunity Always)
  6. ↑ Novislav Djajic, TRIAL (Track Impunity Always)
  7. ↑ Prosecutor v. Radislav Krstic - Trial Chamber I - Judgment - IT-98-33 (2001) ICTY8 (2 August 2001), The International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, paragraph 589. citing Bavarian Appeals Court, Novislav Đajić case, 23 May 1997, 3 St 20/96, section VI, p. 24 of the English translation.