Week Ahead: Thirteen Trials in one Week
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A status conference before begining of the trial of Mirko (son of Spiro) Pekez, Mirko (son of Mile) Pekez and Milorad Savic, former members of Army of Republika Srpska (VRS) and reserve police members accused of crimes committed in the Jajce area during 1992, gets underway next Friday.
The three are accused of the capture, pillage, mistreatment and execution of Bosniak civilians from the Draganovac area in September 1992. The Balesic, Bajramovic, Mutic and Zobic families were killed in the incident.
The trial of Mirko Radic, Dragan Sunjic, Damir Brekalo and Mirko Vracevic will continue on Monday. The four are indicted for the murder, rape and beating of imprisoned Bosniaks from camp Vojno near Mostar, and their use as forced labour during 1993 and 1994.
The Prosecution will continue its evidence presentation against Milorad Trbic on January 21 and 22. Trbic, as deputy to the head of the security section of the VRS Zvornik brigade during July 1995, is accused of involvement in genocide at Srebrenica.
Also on January 21, former Visegrad policeman Zeljko Lelek, who is indicted for the murder, rape and mistreatment of Bosniaks in Visegrad during 1992, will continue with the examination of an additional four defence witnesses.
The start of the Defence evidence process in the trial of Sefik Alic is expected to take place on January 22 and 23, when the first witnesses will be examined. The Prosecution considers Alic responsible for failing to prevent or punish the murders of four members of VRS in August 1995 during the military operation “Oluja”.
The trial of Zdravko Bozic, Mladen Blagojevic, Zeljko Zaric and Zoran Zivanovic – charged with having killed and maltreated people from Srebrenica – will continue on January 22 and 28, when the defence plans to examine new witnesses.
Meanwhile, the trial of 11 men accused of killing around a thousand Bosniaks in Kravica following the fall of Srebrenica will continue on January 23 and 24. A court expert in neuro-psychiatry is expected to testify.
Beginning of the Defence evidence presentation in the trial of Savo Todovic and Mitar Rasevic, who are both accused of crimes committed in Foca Correctional Facility during the war, was set for January 22 and 25.
Brothers Rajko and Ranko Vukovic, accused of crimes committed in Foca, are expected in Court on January 23, when a number of defence witnesses are scheduled to appear.
On January 24, indictee Enes Handzic’s Defence attorney Fahrija Karkin should announce a decision on whether to agree to a proposal from Nisvet Gasal’s and Musajb Kukavica’s Defence – that the two cases be joined. Handzic and Senad Dautovic, and Nisvet Gasalo and Musajb Kukavic, are all considered responsible for crimes committed in the Bugojno area during 1993 and 1994.
On the same day, the evidence presentation process will continue against Suad Kapic, a former member of 517th brigade of the 5th Corps of ABiH, considered responsible for crimes against prisoners of war in the Sanski Most area
The cross-examination of indictee Zijad Kurtovic – considered responsible by the Prosecution for the crimes committed in the church of All Saints in Donja Dreznica during 1993 and 1994 – is also scheduled for January 24.
