Chief Prosecutor of Republica Srpska
Vladike Platona bb
78000 Banja Luka
Republika Srpska
Bosnia and Herzegovina

Dear Chief Prosecutor

Re: AVDO PALIC

I’m concerned that almost fifteen years after the end of the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the fate and whereabouts of thousands of people are still in doubt. Impunity continues for enforced disappearances, and the victims of these violations and their relatives have received no justice or redress.

Avdo Palic was one of the thousands of victims of enforced disappearance committed by members of armies, police forces and paramilitary groups involved in the 1992-1995 war. In July 1995, Avdo Palic was taken from the UN Protection Force compound in the UN “safe area” of Zepa where he had gone to negotiate with the Bosnian Serb Army the evacuation of the last remaining civilians from Zepa. In August 2009, remains exhumed from the Vragolovi mass grave in Rogatica municipality in 2001 were identified as his.

July 27, 2010 marks the fifteenth anniversary of Avdo Palic's enforced disappearance. I urge you to complete the investigation of this case and to bring the perpetrators to justice without further delay.

Yours sincerely,