The Croatian Justice Ministry has requested Serbia to extradite the wartime mayor of the southern Bosnian town of Trebinje, Bozidar Vucurevic, who is charged with war crimes against civilians in the area of Dubrovnik and destruction of cultural and historical monuments in the period from 1991 to 1995.
Ministry spokesperson Vesna Dovranic said the extradition request was forwarded to the Serbian authorities after the necessary documentation was collected.
The extradition procedure will be carried out in line with the European Convention on Extradition and the Croatian-Serbian Extradition Treaty.
The indictment against Vucurevic was issued by the Dubrovnik County Prosecutor's Office in October 2008.
Vucurevic is wanted for the shelling of the historic coastal city of Dubrovnik during the war, when he served as mayor of Trebinje.
He was arrested at the Karakaj border crossing between Zvornik, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Mali Zvornik, Serbia, on Monday and was later placed in custody. He was arrested on a warrant issued by Croatia.
The Bosnian media have reported that Vucurevic has been under investigation since 2003 in that country as well.
The Cantonal Prosecutor's Office in Mostar suspects Vucurevic of being responsible, together with his wartime associates, directly and according to command responsibility, for the expulsion of more than 5,500 Bosniaks from the area of Trebinje municipality and for the killing of at least 17 persons and the torture of 86, of whom four died as a result of torture.
Vucurevic and his closest associates are also suspected of forcibly drafting Croats and Bosniaks so they could be sent to the battlefield at Dubrovnik to fight on the side of the Yugoslav People's Army (JNA).
The Bosnian media say that it is not known if Bosnia too will request his extradition from Serbia. According to available information, Vucurevic only has Bosnian citizenship.
