Prijedor indictment confirmed

The war crimes chamber has confirmed an amended indictment against four Bosnian Serbs charged with war crimes committed in camps in the northwestern municipality of Prijedor.

Zeljko Mejakic (42), Momcilo “Ckalja” Gruban (45), Dusan Fustar (52) and Dusko “Duca” Knezevic (39), were transferred from the Hague tribunal to Sarajevo’s court in May of this year, in accordance with the UN court’s completion strategy.

Prosecutors have charged the four with crimes against humanity against the non-Serb population on the territory of Prijedor municipality from April until the end of 1992.

The indictment alleges that, during that period, more than 7,000 civilians from Prijedor were systematically detained “as part of a widespread and systematic attack” in Omarska, Keraterm and Trnopolje camps, “where they were kept in inhumane conditions and exposed to heavy physical, psychological and sexual abuse”, and that many of them were killed.

The prosecution believes that the indictees “directly participated in the abuse and persecution” of non-Serbs.

According to the indictment, from May 24 to August 30, 1992 Zeljko Mejakic was de facto commander of Omarska camp and had “real control over the work and behaviour of guards and other staff in the camp”. It is claimed that Mejakic also had control over the living conditions in the camp as well as the”lives and bodies of over 3,000 detained civilians”.

Momcilo Gruban was the commander of one of the three guard shifts in the same camp. They are both charged with murders and torture of detainees committed by their subordinates, as well as crimes committed by them personally. Rape and other forms of sexual abuse of inmates are among the listed crimes.

According to the indictment, defendant Dusko Knezevic had,without any official position, regularly entered Omarska and Keraterm camps,where he “committed murders and beat the inmates”, as well as participated in rape and other forms of sexual abuse.

The prosecution is of the opinion that Dusan Fustar commanded one of three guard shifts in Keraterm from May 24 to August 30, 1992, where around 1,500 non-Serb civilians were detained.

Fustar is held responsible for “participating in the obstinate taking of inmates’ freedom” and “contributing to strengthening of functioning of camp system of abuse through various forms of physical, psychological and sexual violence”.

Fustar is also held responsible for killing more than one person in the camp and physically abusing them.

In the indictment, the prosecution as listed the crimes the two are charged with, from beating inmates with a baseball bat, a nightstick or a bat with a metal ball on the top, to cruel beating with ironbars, denying medication and execution.

All four indictees voluntarily surrendered during 2002 and 2003, after which they were transferred to the Scheveningen detainment unit in The Hague.