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The trial of Sefik Alic, a former member of the Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina who has been indicted for war crimes against prisoners of war, will begin in Sarajevo on 11 May.
The Prosecution charges Alic, in his capacity as former assistant commander for security of the Army of BiH Hamza V battalion, with involvement in the physical and psychological torture of prisoners during the “Storm” operation in 1995. He is also charged with failing to order and implement an investigation and to punish the persons responsible for murders of four prisoners of war.
The murders themselves were allegedly committed by a certain Al Harbi Tewfiku, a Saudi Arabian citizen who was not a member of the battalion but fought alongside them in the area of Bosanska Krajina at the time.
At a status conference at the Court of BiH, Peter Kidd announced that 33 witnesses would be invited during the Prosecution’s evidence process. Twenty of them are considered to be key witnesses for proving of the Indictment statements.
Defence attorney Senad Kreho said that it was too early to give the number and names of witnesses who were going to be called to testify, but he said that his evidence process would deny the indictment’s claim that Alićwas an assistant commander for security of the Hamza Battalion at the time of the alleged crimes.
The Defence again asked that Alić be moved from the Central Prison in Sarajevo, where he is currently located, to the detention facility of the Court of BiH. According to the president of the Trial Chamber, this cannot be approved at the moment due to a lack of space in the court’s facility.
Minka Kreho asked the Defence to indicate whether it was possible for them to reach an agreement with the Prosecution on uncontested evidence.
“Everything is disputable for the defence: murders as such, as the bodies have not been found so far, dates of murders, status of the indictee etc,” said Kreho.
The Defence also asked the Court to submit a written justification for its decision to prevent visits to their client by a certain group of people. The Court had rendered this measure at the request of the BiH Prosecution, prompting a complaint from the inductees legal team.
The reading of the indictment and the first introductory speeches are scheduled for 11 May, while the first witnesses will appear before the Court of BiH on 18 May.
