Amidst the latest information that the State Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina has approved the extradition of Croatian war veteran Tihomir Purda to Serbia, Croatian war veterans' associations repeated on Friday that they believed that he would be released from custody because he innocent.
The HVIDR-a association leader Josip Djakic said he was confident that the appellate court would consider an appeal and make a just decision and that justice would prevail.
Asked by reporters what associations would do in the case of Purda's handover to Serbia, where he is wanted for alleged war crimes in Vukovar, Djakic said that "there are instruments whereby we will raise our voice, if necessary", but added that he trusted the judicial system in Bosnia and Herzegovina and that he believed that Serbia would drop charges against Purda.
The head of the association of detained and missing Croatian soldiers, Ivan Psenica, said he had also been in Borovo Naselje at the time relevant to Serbia's accusations and that there were no grounds for accusations against Purda.
Purda was arrested in the northern Bosnian town of Orasje on 5 January on an international warrant issued by Serbia, whose prosecutorial authorities suspect him of war crimes in Vukovar in 1991. Since his arrest, Purda has been held in prison in Zenica, central Bosnia.
