The Prosecutor's Office in The Hague, at the request of the Special State Prosecutor's Office (SDT) of Montenegro, is preparing an investigative file regarding a Montenegrin citizen suspected of participating in war crimes.
This is stated, among other things, in a progress report recently presented to the Security Council by the Prosecutor of the United Nations International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (IRMCT) in The Hague. Serge Brammertz, into which "Vijesti" had an insight.
The report covers the period from May 16 to November 15, 2025.
Brammertz's report states that the SDT currently has one investigation underway and several cases in the pre-investigation phase.
“The Prosecutor's Office continued to provide direct assistance to the SDT in its casework by securing the cooperation of key witnesses and providing other forms of assistance in connection with ongoing proceedings.”
It is stated that the Prosecutor's Office will continue to provide the necessary assistance to the SDT and "looks forward to the opportunity to report on more positive progress."
Significant results achieved
"Significant results were achieved during the reporting period. A verdict was delivered in the trial Slobodan Peković for the crimes committed in Foča in 1992. Peković was found guilty and the first conviction in Montenegro for conflict-related sexual violence was handed down, and he was sentenced to twenty years in prison,” the document states.
This verdict, it is said, marks an important step forward for the Montenegrin judiciary and may encourage other victims of sexual violence to come forward and seek justice.
The mechanism was replaced in its work by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), and was established by the Security Council in 2010. It took over all pending proceedings related to war crimes committed in the territories of Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia...
The report recalls that the indictment filed by the SDT against Zoran Gašović on suspicion of having committed crimes in Hadžići.
They recall that this indictment relates to one of two files that the Prosecutor's Office forwarded earlier, which shows that close cooperation between the Prosecutor's Office and the SDT is yielding positive results.
“In addition, this indictment represents progress on two significant legal issues. This indictment is the first time in Montenegro that the accused has been charged with crimes against humanity. It is also supported by extensive evidence from the ICTY and the Mechanism, in line with the recent amendments to the Criminal Code of Montenegro, as previously reported,” the document states.
The report, as last year, states that important reforms in domestic law to support justice in relation to war crimes are urgently needed to ensure successful prosecution of war crimes cases in Montenegro.
“As previously reported, the Prosecutor’s Office remains in contact with the Montenegrin authorities to strengthen witness protection measures, particularly in cases involving conflict-related sexual violence. The Prosecutor’s Office continues to provide the requested support to improve progress in this and other important areas,” the document states.
Lack of staff the main challenge
Brammertz points out in the report that the main challenge facing war crimes justice in Montenegro remains a lack of staff. He states that Montenegrin investigators and prosecutors show a willingness and ability to achieve more in establishing accountability.
“However, with only two prosecutors assigned part-time to work on war crimes cases, the results that can be achieved are necessarily limited,” the report states.
The Prosecutor's Office in The Hague notes that the Supreme State Prosecutor has temporarily assigned two prosecutors from his office to assist in the processing of war crimes cases.
"The Prosecutor's Office encourages the Montenegrin authorities to consider all potential options for strengthening the capacities of the Special State Prosecutor's Office," the document states.
It is noted that during the reporting period, the Prosecutor's Office continued discussions with the Montenegrin authorities.
“Prosecutor's Office staff visited Montenegro on November 4 and 5, 2025, for consultations with the President of the Supreme Court, Valentin Pavličić, special state prosecutor, Vladimir Novović", the Supreme State Prosecutor's Office and representatives of the Ministry of Justice," the report says.
The Brammertz report states that, although the process of achieving justice for war crimes in Montenegro is only at its beginning, the Montenegrin authorities accept that much more needs to be done and have clearly committed and taken concrete steps to achieve more accountability for war crimes.
"Given the positive developments in recent times, there are high expectations that concrete results will be achieved in the process of achieving justice for war crimes in Montenegro," the document states.
Serbia: Overall progress - limited
The report states that, although certain positive steps have been taken in the meantime, overall progress is limited and the prosecution of war crimes in Serbia has not yet yielded the expected results.
“The Prosecutor's Office is ready to assist the Serbian authorities in getting war crimes justice back on track and moving towards achieving the goals set out in the National Strategy for Prosecution of War Crimes, which includes achieving results in prosecuting cases against high- and mid-ranking officials.”
It is stated that the Serbian War Crimes Prosecutor's Office has demonstrated the ability to handle more complex cases and establish successful cooperation with regional partners, especially with Bosnia and Herzegovina.
“It is crucial that the Serbian authorities continue to build on these positive steps to begin resolving the large backlog of cases, as there remains a significant gap in establishing accountability.”
The Hague notes that, in addition, there are more than a hundred cases that will have to be forwarded from Bosnia and Herzegovina to Serbia for prosecution.
"Victims, the public and other stakeholders rightly expect to see concrete progress that demonstrates the will to fulfill the commitments undertaken under the National Strategy for Prosecution of War Crimes. The Mechanism's Prosecutor's Office hopes to be able to report on tangible results and more significant progress in the next reporting periods," the document states.
It is stated that the Serbian War Crimes Prosecutor's Office filed two new indictments against two defendants during the reporting period, and that at the end of the reporting period there were fifteen ongoing war crimes trials.
“In addition, there are twenty-nine open investigations and six cases in the pre-investigation phase against a total of eighty-nine suspects. During the reporting period, two first-instance verdicts were issued. The appeal courts issued three verdicts, and two cases were remanded for retrial.”
The Hague Prosecutor's Office encourages the Serbian authorities to complete the selection process for the Chief War Crimes Prosecutor as soon as possible.
"The fact that the Chief War Crimes Prosecutor has not been appointed for more than two years necessarily hinders the work of the Serbian War Crimes Prosecutor's Office," the Hague said.
Croatia: significant gap for Bosnian Croat crimes
“Overall, and taking into account the ICTY Completion Strategy, the Croatian authorities have confirmed their commitment to achieving more justice and there is a significant number of cases that provide an opportunity to demonstrate this commitment in practice, including by responding to the backlog of open requests for assistance and accepting the transfer of investigative files from Bosnia and Herzegovina,” the document states.
It is reported that decisions have been made to close the investigations in the last two Category II cases against Zlatan Mijo Jelić and Mario Miličević, but that I can hope that the case against Nedjeljko Obradović (an HVO general indicted for war crimes against Bosniaks during the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina) to be more successful.
Although an official decision has not yet been received, the Prosecutor's Office in The Hague has reportedly been informed that indictments against Jelić and Milicevic will not be filed.
It is recalled that the cases against Jelić and Miličević were linked to the trials before the ICTY in the cases “Prosecutor v. Prlic and others” and “Prosecutor v. Naletilić and Martinović".
In these proceedings, it is alleged, extensive evidence was presented that documented suspicions that Jelić and Milicevic were responsible for the crimes committed in Mostar in 1993 and 1994.
“As established in the Prlić et al. case, Bosnian Croat leaders carried out a joint criminal enterprise to ethnically cleanse Bosnian Muslims from territory they claimed in Herzegovina. In Mostar, HVO forces forcibly removed Bosnian Muslims from their homes, unlawfully detained and mistreated them in notorious detention facilities such as the heliport, used detainees for forced labor and as human shields, and, ultimately, held East Mostar under siege and committed serious crimes, including unlawful attacks on civilians, wanton destruction, and unlawful terror.”
It is alleged that during the siege of Mostar, Jelić and Miličević held important command positions in the HVO forces.
“There remains a significant gap in establishing accountability for crimes committed by Bosnian Croat forces and, given that a large number of suspects are now residing in Croatia, further justice depends largely on the Croatian State Attorney’s Office,” the document states.
BiH: Key years for achieving justice
The report states that the next few years will be crucial for better justice for war crimes in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
“There remains a significant backlog of cases that still need to be investigated and prosecuted, and it is clear that the remaining cases are likely to be the most demanding. This work, even under ideal conditions, will take many years to complete, and the passage of time only further emphasizes the need to work more expeditiously. The Prosecutor’s Office and the Prosecutor’s Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina will also continue to strengthen their cooperation,” the report states.
It is stated that in this reporting period, the Prosecutor's Office of BiH filed one indictment against one suspect, and four cases against twenty-nine persons were completed or closed.
“The Prosecutor’s Office of BiH has 177 backlogs of cases against 2.062 individuals. Of that number, investigations in ninety-four cases are ongoing; the remaining cases are in the pre-investigation phase. In addition, the Prosecutor’s Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina has 228 backlogs of cases against unknown perpetrators, as well as 1.300 cases against unknown perpetrators in cantonal and district prosecutor’s offices,” the document states.
See more:
Download the app and follow the news
FOLLOW US ON
