FOUNDATION

The Office of the War Crimes Prosecutor was founded on 1 July 2003, following the passage of the Law on Organization and Competence of State Bodies in the Proceedings Against War Crimes Perpetrators.

On 23 July 2003, Mr. Vladimir Vukcevic, the then first Deputy Public Prosecutor of the Republic of Serbia, was elected War Crimes Prosecutor by the National Assembly.

The Office of the War Crimes Prosecutor was founded with the intention to detect and prosecute perpetrators of criminal offences against humanity and international law, as defined in Chapter XVI of the Basic Penal Code, as well as grave breaches of the International Humanitarian Law, committed in the territory of the former Yugoslavia since 1 January 1991, as recognized by the Statute of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY).

The Office of the War Crimes Prosecutor is situated at 29, Ustanicka Street in Belgrade.

ORGANIZATION

The staff of the War Crimes Prosecutor's Office include the War Crimes Prosecutor, Deputy Prosecutors, Spokesperson, Secretary and other staff members.

The War Crimes Prosecutor is elected by the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia. Deputy Prosecutors are appointed and resolved by the War Crimes Prosecutor, for the period of four years.

AREA OF COMPETENCE

The Office of the War Crimes Prosecutor is competent for proceeding criminal offences as set forth in Chapter XVI of the Basic Penal Code, i.e. criminal offences against humanity and international law, as well as the offences recognized by the ICTY Statute. These include genocide, war crimes against civilians, war crimes against wounded and sick persons, war crimes against war prisoners, destruction of cultural and historical monuments, as well as other violations of the international humanitarian law.

The Office of the War Crimes Prosecutor is in charge of prosecuting perpetrators of criminal offences committed in the territory of the former SFRY, regardless of the citizenship, nationality, race or religious commitment of the perpetrator and the victim alike.

The Office of the War Crimes Prosecutor is competent for prosecuting cases both at the first instance and acting upon legal remedies.

The activities of the War Crimes Prosecutor's Office are based on the international legal documents and on the national legislation.

GOALS AND STRATEGY

The Office of the War Crimes Prosecutor is the unique institution providing for the systemic protection of victims of war crimes perpetrated in the territory of the former Yugoslavia, as well as that of their families. Its work is based on the following principles:

· The topmost level of professionalism 
 
 · Resistence to pressures of any kind, and particularly to political pressures
 
 · Co-operation with international institutions, primarily with the ICTY Prosecutor's Office as its key operational partner
 
 · Presentation of arguments in trials before national courts
 
 · Individualization of responsibility
 
 · Timely and objective reporting to the public on the cases conducted by the War Crimes Prosecutor's Office

PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUNDS

Vladimir Vukcevic
War Crimes Prosecutor of the Republic of Serbia

Born on 29 January 1950 in Belgrade.
Graduated from the Faculty of Law at Belgrade University in 1973.
Passed his Bar Examination in 1976.
Elected Deputy Public Prosecutor at the First Municipal Public Prosecutor's Office in April 1978.
Elected Deputy Public Prosecutor for the Belgrade District in 1994, and Deputy Public Prosecutor of the Republic of Serbia in 2002.
Following his positions of the First Deputy Public Prosecutor for the Belgrade District and Head of the Serbian Public Prosecutor's Office Criminal Department, he was elected War Crimes Prosecutor by the Assembly of the Republic of Serbia in July 2003.

Veselin Mrdak
Deputy War Crime Prosecutor

Born in 1950.
Graduated from the Faculty of Law at Belgrade University in 1973.
Passed his Bar Examination in 1974.
Elected Judge of the Municipal Court in Prnjavor (BH) in 1974.
Elected Deputy Prosecutor at the Fifth Municipal Public Prosecutor's Office in Belgrade in 1978. Elected Deputy Public Prosecutor for the Belgrade District in 1992.
Elected Deputy Public Prosecutor in the Republic of Serbia in 2003.
Appointed Deputy Special Prosecutor for Organized Crime in April 2003.
Appointed Deputy War Crimes Prosecutor in January 2005.

Dragoljub Stankovic
Deputy War Crime Prosecutor
 

Born in 1952.
Graduated from the Faculty of Law at Belgrade University in 1977.
Passed his Bar Examination in 1979.
Elected Deputy Public Prosecutor at the Fourth Municipal Public Prosecutor's Office in Belgrade in 1980.
Elected Deputy Public Prosecutor for the Belgrade District in 1994.
Appointed Head of the District Public Prosecutor's Office Criminal Department in 2003.
Elected Deputy Public Prosecutor of the Republic of Serbia in September 2003.
Elected Deputy War Crimes Prosecutor in November 2003.
 

Dusan Kneževic
Deputy War Crime Prosecutor

Born on 30 July 1962 in Novi Sad.
Graduated from the Faculty of Law in Novi Sad in 1986.
Deputy Municipal Prosecutor in Novi Sad from 1990 to 1995.
Deputy Public Prosecutor for the Novi Sad District from 1995 to 2004.
Elected Deputy Republic Prosecutor in July 2004. Deputy War Crimes Prosecutor of the Republic of Serbia since 2003.