Karajic: Ten days for Defence

At a status conference, held as part of the trial of Suljo Karajic, former member of the Bosnian Army, the Defence presented its evidence presentation plan, claiming that it would need ten days in order to examine 18 witnesses, including the indictee.

“The Defence has examined many persons and selected 18 of them to be examined at the trial, as well as two court experts. We shall also introduce a few pieces of material evidence. We would also like to have the indictee appear as a witness,” Hasan Veladzic, one of Karajic’s Defence attorneys, said.

The Trial Chamber accepted the entire evidence presentation plan, as presentedby the Defence. The examination of first witnesses is planned for December 18,2008.

Karajic is charged, as commander of the Second Military Police Squad with the 505th Knights Motorised Brigade of the Fifth Corps with the Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina, ABiH, with having participated in a number of crimes against prisoners of war and civilians from the west Bosnia region in the course of 1994 and 1995.

The Defence pointed out that the witnesses would speak about the crimes committed in the referenced period of time, while one court expert would give his findings and opinion concerning the indictee’s mental state at that time.

“We are planning to examine an orthopedist, who will appear as a court expert in order to speak about the indictee’s physical capability and the injury he had,” Veladzic said.

The Defence said that it could not provide the Prosecution with records of examinations of witnesses, who will appear as Karajic’s Defence witnesses, because “it has not been technically possible to make the records”.

The trial of Karajic began in March 2008. During the course of nine months of presenting evidence, the Prosecution examined more than 40 witnesses, who spoke about the indictee’s participation in various crimes committed in 1994 and 1995.