Croatia has requested Milorad Kovačević’s extradition from Montenegro

On Friday police in neighboring Montenegro arrested the 61-year-old former Yugoslav People's Army officer. He has been convicted in absentia of war crimes against Croatians in October of 1991.

On Saturday Foreign and European Affairs Minister Gordan Grlić Radman commented on yesterday's arrest of convicted war criminal Milorad Kovačević. The 61-year-old former Yugoslav People's Army officer has been sentenced in absentia by a Croatian court for war crimes committed in the Dubrovnik region in October of 1991. As commander of a military police unit, Kovačević subjected five captured Croatian police officers to public torture that left them seriously injured. He now awaits further processing before the High Court in Podgorica. The Minister noted that Kovačević has Croatian citizenship but has been living in Montenegro for some time now. The minister reminded however, that war crimes are not subject to a statute of limitations and that Kovačević's extradition has been requested.

“The judicial bodies and institutions are cooperating. As you have seen the State Attorney's Office has also had meetings with their counterparts in Montenegro. We applaud the work of these institutions and remind everyone that there are no statutes of limitations on war crimes. We believe that Montenegro understands their obligations very well. The processing of war crimes is outlined in their EU negotiating chapters 23 and 24. There are witnesses to the crimes and there is ample evidence. And his extradition has been requested on the basis of the evidence and the witness testimony, because up until now he has been beyond the reach of the Croatian judiciary,” Minister Grlić Radman said.

He added that Croatia supports Montenegro's European path, but expects the resolution of open bilateral issues to continue.

Source: HRT