25 April 2000
Text: Bosnia Peace Force Detains Accused War Criminal
(Troops arrest Dragan Nikolic April 21) (370) Soldiers of the NATO-lead Peace Stabilization Force (SFOR) in Bosnia-Herzegovina arrested accused war criminal Dragan Nikolic April 22, an SFOR press release said. Nikolic was transferred to The Hague to appear before the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY). Nikolic is under open indictment for war crimes allegedly committed in the spring and summer of 1992 while he was in command of a detention camp at Susica in northeastern Bosnia. Following is the text of the SFOR press release: (begin text) Peace Stabilization Force (SFOR) Press Release Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina 22 April 2000 ACCUSED WAR CRIMINAL DETAINED Sarajevo - On April 21, 2000, Stabilization Force (SFOR) elements in Multinational Division North (MND-N) in Bosnia and Herzegovina, acting within SFOR's mandate, detained an individual identified as Dragan Nikolic. Nikolic is charged with crimes against humanity, violations of the laws or customs of war, and grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions. These crimes and violations are punishable under Articles of the Statute of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY). Nikolic is now at The Hague. There were no SFOR casualties sustained during the operation. The action was undertaken in accordance with SFOR's duties. This mandate was given to SFOR by the North Atlantic Council under authority contained in the relevant United Nation Security Council Resolution. As the Secretary General of NATO affirmed again in a recent statement, NATO is determined to play its role in helping to bring indicted war criminals to justice. Those indicted war criminals who remain at large have no permanent hiding place. NATO will continue to detain them, as well as those that the Chief Prosecutor at the ICTY may indict in the future. SFOR advises all indicted war criminals to surrender immediately to the Tribunal. In his statement, the Secretary General praised the SFOR troops and their commanders for their courage, professionalism, and dedication in carrying out this action which will contribute to the continued consolidation of the peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina. (end text) (Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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