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Montenegro Court Sentences Slobodan Pekovic to 20 Years for Foca Killings
- Predrag Milic, Balkan Insight
- Jul 21, 2025
- 2 min read
Victims’ family’s lawyer welcomes first conviction for war crimes handed down by a Montenegrin court since 2019.
The High Court in Podgorica has sentenced former Bosnian Serb fighter Slobodan Pekovic, formerly Curcic, to 20 years in prison for committing war crimes against the civilian population near Foca in eastern Bosnia.
Judge Nada Rabrenovic delivered the verdict, fully accepting the charges brought by the Special State Prosecutor’s Office, represented by Tanja Colan Deretic, who said the prosecution was “satisfied with the court’s decision”, media reported.
According to the indictment, on June 8, 1992, during a military attack on the village of Hum, in the municipality of Foca, in eastern Bosnia and Herzegovina, Pekovic killed Mujo and Emina Sabanovic and set fire to their house, burning their bodies.
“Slobodan Pekovic denied the charges, claiming he was in Pluzine on June 8, 1992, when Emina and Mujo Sabanovic were killed in the village of Hum,” the verdict recalled.
“He said he had been in a fight there, with a man named Obren Gojkovic. However, the court found no evidence supporting this alibi and determined, based on witness testimony, that Pekovic was in Hum and identified as a member of the Army of Republika Srpska,” it stated.
“Key witness Ramiza Grcic testified she recognised Pekovic – formerly Curcic – in the village that day, noting he wore a scarf over his head to avoid recognition,” it continued.
The court said forensic analysis confirmed “both victims died from gunshot wounds to the chest, shoulder, and legs”.
Dalibor Tomovic, lawyer for the victims’ family, welcomed the first conviction for war crimes handed down by a Montenegrin court since 2019.
“This is the first conviction by the Montenegrin judiciary for a war crime that includes the act of rape. I believe the court established all undisputed facts beyond reasonable doubt, and that those facts were supported by evidence for each element that constitutes a war crime,” Tomovic said.
“I consider the sentence proportionate to the gravity of the crime. The acts of rape, as described in detail by protected witness A1, were corroborated by the testimony of another protected witness, A2, who gave a detailed account of how she recognised the accused,” Tomovic added.
Witnesses described finding Mujo Sabanovic’s burned body and confirmed that Pekovic was armed with an automatic rifle.
The indictment also states that, in early September 1992, Pekovic raped a woman who has since been granted protected witness status.
Prosecutors said that, under the pretence of rescuing her, her underage daughter, two other adults, and their five children from the sports hall in Foca, Pekovic and several uniformed men took them to an apartment near the local police headquarters, where Pekovic and another man raped her before removing her from the room.
(c) 2025, Balkan Insight
a significant and somber verdict. the article clearly details the court's process, from the rejection of the alibi to the reliance on witness testimony and forensic evidence. it is notable that this is the first such conviction in montenegro since 2019, and the first to include the act of rape. the reporting is factual and avoids sensationalism, focusing on the legal proceedings and the evidence presented. Image to Image AI
This verdict, though decades late, is a vital step toward acknowledging the truth of what happened in Foča. As someone who works in digital documentation and authenticity verification (through tools like digital seal technology for archival records), I’m deeply aware of how fragile historical evidence can be — and how crucial it is that court rulings, survivor testimonies, and official records remain permanently tamper-proof. Justice isn’t only about sentencing; it’s about ensuring the facts themselves cannot be erased or distorted over time. Thank you to the Lemkin Institute for keeping this case visible. May this ruling bring some measure of peace to the survivors and families who have waited far too long.
It's striking how the court meticulously dismantled Slobodan Pekovic's alibi, relying on witness testimony from Ramiza Grcic and protected witnesses A1 and A2, alongside forensic evidence. This detailed investigative work to uncover the truth is truly commendable. It reminds me of the mental clarity and focus I get from solving logic puzzles, like those on MeowdoKu.
The conviction of Slobodan Pekovic, the first since 2019, truly highlights how long and arduous the path to justice can be for war crimes like the Foca killings. It takes immense perseverance from victims' families and lawyers like Dalibor Tomovic to see these cases through. It makes me think about how some things require a long-term perspective and diligent tracking, much like managing investments with a tool like StonkRider for sustained insight.
I want to draw attention to something that often gets lost in the legal analysis: Mujo and Emina Sabanovic were real people. They had a home. They had a life. On June 8, 1992, that was taken from them violently, and their bodies were burned in an attempt to erase the evidence. The fact that their family has a lawyer — Dalibor Tomovic — who fought for this conviction, and that a court in Montenegro finally delivered it, is something their family has waited over three decades for. I work in civil society memorialization and use a wedding planning checklist format adapted for community commemoration event planning, a weddingplanningchecklist.net template for organizing memorial ceremonies, a concrete calculator when planning physical memorial installations, a…