BOSNIA NEWS

SARAJEVO,Bosnia - The Appellate Panel of Section I for War Crimes of the Bosnian State Court found Serbian war criminal Boban Simsic guilty of Crimes against humanity, and sentenced him to the shamefully low sentence of 14 years of imprisonment.

Serbian war criminal Boban Simsic had committed the said offence in the period between April and July 1992 in the Visegrad Municipality, as a member of the genocidal Serbian aggressor's formations.

The pronounced verdict contains, inter alia, the following findings: On 25 July 1992,Serbian war criminal Boban Simsic participated in the attack on the Bosnian village of Velji Lug, Visegrad Municipality. Seven Bosnian civilians were killed during this attack, while the houses and commercial buildings owned by the Bosnians were set on fire. On this occasion, many Bosnian civilians were taken away to, and illegally detained by the genocidal Serbian aggressor in the Hasan Veletovac Elementary School in Visegrad.

In the second half of June 1992, as a guard securing several hundred detained Bosnian civilians in the Hasan Veletovac Elementary School, together with other members of the genocidal Serbian aggressors' formations, Serbian war criminal Simsic participated in killings, enforced disappearance, and torture of Bosnian civilians. He also aided in the rape of Bosnian girls and young women.

On several occasions, Serbian war criminal Boban Simsic took Bosnian girls and younger women to other Serbian aggressor's soldiers who perpetrated multiple rapes, beatings and humiliation on them. The pronounced verdict, inter alia, states that on one occasion Simsic enabled Serbian war criminal Milan Lukic and other Serbian aggressor's soldiers to enter the premises of the Hasan Veletovac Elementary School, where they took a Bosnian man from a room in which he was detained together with the other Bosnian civilians.Serbian war criminal Milan Lukic then beheaded this Bosnian man, following which his head was thrown into the room between other detainees.

The time Serbian war criminal has been held in custody commencing from 24 January 2005 will count towards the sentence.

SARAJEVO,Bosnia - As noted in recent news reports, the Bosnian Central Election Commission requested from the OSCE Mission to Bosnia an analysis or a comparative overview of legal solutions to funding political parties in other countries.

In response, the OSCE Mission to Bosnia did not address, much less confirm, the validity of the Bosnian Central Election Commission's decision with regard to sanctions imposed on certain political parties in Bosnia. Nor did it state that donations and contributions to political parties from abroad are forbidden in most of the countries in the world.

The OSCE Mission to Bosnia instead provided the Bosnian Central Election Commission with two documents produced by the Council of Europe on this issue: Guidelines and Report on the Financing of Political Parties; and Venice Commission Opinion on the Prohibition of Financial Contributions to Political Parties from Foreign Sources. It did this because both documents provided useful compendia of information related to questions of the permitted sources of political party funding in other countries, especially in Europe. The report issued by the Venice Committee demonstrated that regulations differ substantially from one country to the other, OSCE said.

As the Mission’s letter to the CEC pointed out, there is no single right way of dealing with political party financing. Practices and opinions on this issue vary greatly across Europe and across much of the world. Each country in the end develops a system that best suits its specific needs and purposes. Bosnia, it concluded, should do the same.

The OSCE Mission to Bosnia is pleased that the Inter-Ministerial Working Group tasked with drafting amendments to the Election Law, the Law on Political Party Financing and the Law on Conflict of Interest, has started its work. This Group’s work is of vital importance, for the fair and effective regulation of political party financing is essential for ensuring a level playing field for all candidates for electoral office and consequently a better range of choices for the voters in Bosnia.

SARAJEVO,Bosnia - U.S. Ambassador to Bosnia, Douglas McElhaney will present certificates of appreciation to the Bosnian officials and citizens today, thanking them for their generous assistance to the US citizens who were victims of a tour bus crash on June 11, 2007, US Embassy said.

A group of 34 American tourists was on its way to the southern Bosnian town of Medjugorje for a religious pilgrimage when the bus had a serious accident on the Sarajevo - Tarcin road.

Bosnian medical personnel, law enforcement representatives and many others offered generous assistance, demonstrating professionalism and willingness to go beyond their duties and responsibilities.A number of the Bosnian citizens helped bus crash victims without a moment of hesitation.

The ceremony will take place today, August 17, at 14:00 at the Consular Section of the U.S. Embassy, Alipasina 43, Sarajevo. Ambassador McElhaney will deliver remarks and present certificates to all the participants.

SARAJEVO,Bosnia – The second International Graffiti Art Festival “Balkan Express” opened yesterday in Sarajevo.It will be held from 16 to 19 August.This is the second time Sarajevo hosts the most prominent graffiti artists.

Main part of the festival will be focused on painting the wall in front of the Zetra Olympic Center. The topic will be “Positive Vibrations”. The graffiti will be painted on August 17 and 18. Apart from painting a mural, one of the biggest in the Balkans, an exhibition will be opened at the Collegium Artisticum gallery. All artists participating at the festival will exhibit their works.

A graffiti workshop will be organized for the young people interested in that kind of art. They will have an opportunity to talk to the world’s most prominent graffiti artists.

The festival is organized by “N.E.K.O.” Urban Culture Association and was financed by the Sarajevo Canton, the Goethe Institute, Dutch and Spanish embassies, OPA and ProHelvetia.

SARAJEVO,Bosnia – The number of tourists visiting Bosnia has increased per 19,2 % in the first six months of 2007, compared to the same period in 2006. Expectations are that the year 2007 will be a record-breaking year in the Bosnian tourism sector, the Bosnian Tourist Association announced yesterday.

The statistics show that the number of arrivals has been increasing month after month. The Association is of the opinion that the country’s promotion in the foreign media has played a significant role in that positive trend.

Changes in the world’s holiday trends, in the sense of choosing attractive destinations with a healthy natural environment, countries full of natural, cultural and historical heritage, have made Bosnia an attractive tourist destination.

Total of 277.489 tourists visited Bosnia in the first six months of 2007.In percentages, the biggest increase in the number of tourists has been registered with Austrian tourists (39,8 %).

The situation has remained positive in the sector in July and August as well. The number of tourists in the Sarajevo region, in July 2007, has increased per 17 per cent, compared to July 2006.Tourists stayed in Bosnia for two days on average.