[JURIST] Russia has extradited Dragan Zelenovic [ICTY case backgrounder], a Bosnian Serb wanted by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) [official website] to Bosnia, according to the Bosnian war crimes court on Friday. Bosnia plans to transfer Zelenovic to the ICTY "immediately" [press release], possibly within 36 hours.

Russia handed Zelenovic, wanted for rape and torture during Bosnia's 1992-95 war, over to Bosnia on Thursday following statements made by ICTY chief prosecutor Carla Del Ponte [official profile] accusing Russia of failing to turn over suspected war criminals. In her speech [transcript; press release] to the UN Security Council [official website] Wednesday, Del Ponte said "The long and unexplained delays in the transfer of Zelenovic, who was detained in Russia since August 2005, do not allow for optimism in the future of the ICTYÂ?s co-operation with the Russian Federation." Zelenovic was indicted in 1996, along with Gojko Jankovic, who surrendered to the ICTY last year and pleaded not guilty [JURIST reports] to war crimes in March at the War Crimes Chamber of the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina [JURIST report; HRW backgrounder]. Reuters has more.