Crime committed in the home of the Sever family in Vukovar
On 1 November 2010, the Higher Court in Belgrade found the defendant Stanko Vujanović guilty of war crime against civilians under Article 142, paragraph 1 of the KZSRJ and sentenced him to 9 years in prison. The previous 20-year prison sentence for the crime at Ovčara was taken into consideration in respect of the defendant. Therefore, he received an aggregated sentence of 20 years.
In March 2011, the Appellate Court confirmed the first-instance verdict.
INDICTMENT (SUMMARY)
According to the indictment issued by the War Crimes Prosecution Office of the Republic of Serbia, the accused person is charged that he, in his capacity as member of the Territorial Defence which was a constituent part of the then Yugoslav National Army, participated, together with an unidentified armed male person, in the killing of four persons and severe wounding of one person, which took place in the basement of the house of the Sever family in Vukovar on 14 September 1991. Therefore, the offence the accused person is charged with constitutes a war crime against civilians.
GENERAL INFORMATION
Higher Court in Belgrade
President of the War Crime Chamber: Judge Snežana Nikolić-Garotić
Indictment: issued by the War Crimes Prosecution Office of the Republic of Serbia
Criminal offence: war crime against civilians stated in Article 142, Paragraph 1 of the Penal Code of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
Representing the prosecution: Dušan Knežević, Deputy Chief Prosecutor of the War Crimes Prosecution Office of the Republic of Serbia
Defendant: Stanko Vujanović (sentenced by a legally valid verdict to 20 years of imprisonment for war crime against 200 Croatian war prisoners at Ovčara near Vukovar; currently held in custody)
Victims: Ivan Sever and Adam Luketić (killed persons); Ruža Luketić and Marija Kotreba (died of wounds caused by fragments of a detonated hand grenade thrown by an unknown person); Blaženka Sever (injured person)
VERDICT
On 1 November 2010, the defendant was found guilty and sentenced to 9 years in prison.
The previous 20-year prison sentence for the crime at Ovčara was taken into consideration in respect of the defendant. Therefore, he received an aggregated sentence of 20 years.