Mejakic et al: Trial to begin next month
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The trial of Zeljko Mejakic, Momcilo Gruban, Dusan Fustar and Dusko Knezevic will begin on December 20, 2006.
The prosecution has charged the four with crimes against humanity committed against the non-Serb population from April to the end of 1992 on the territory of municipality Prijedor.
According to the indictment, during that period more than 7,000 civilians from that municipality were detained in the Omarska, Keraterm and Trnopolje camps, where many of them were killed.
The prosecution believes that the indictees “directly participated in the abuse and expulsion”.
According to the indictment, from May 24to August 30, 1992 Zeljko Mejakic was de facto commander of Omarska detention camp and Momcilo Gruban was commander of one of three guard shifts in the camp.
Both are 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 detainees are among the listed crimes.
According to the indictment, indictee Dusko Knezevic entered Omarska and Keraterm camps without any official title,where he “committed murders and beatings of camp inmates”, and where he participated in rape and other forms of sexual abuse.
The prosecution believes that from May 24 to August 30, 1992 Dusan Fustar was commander of one of three guard shifts in Keraterm detention camp, where around 1,500 non-Serb civilians were detained.
Fustar is also charged that he personally killed more than one person in the camp and that he physically abused detainees.
All four are charged with committing a”joint criminal act”.
After the presentation of opening statements which are scheduled for December 20, evidence procedure will begin in mid-January of next year.
During the status conference, defence counsels noted that they have still not received all the evidence from the prosecution, and prosecutor Peter Kidd explained that his office is still collecting audio records from the Hague tribunal, which they want to include as evidence.
Mejakic, Gruban, Fustar and Knezevic were transferred from The Hague to Sarajevo on May 9 of this year, in accordance with the exit strategy of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.
