Klickovic et al: Functioning of civil authorities
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The Prosecution of Bosnia and Herzegovina introduced 18 pieces of material evidence in the first hearing of this year as part of the trial of the three indictees charged with crimes committed in Bosanska Krupa.
Among other things, it presented documents which it said were “examples of the power and role of the civil authorities”.
Gojko Klickovic, Jovan Ostojic and Mladen Drljaca are charged with having participated in murder, forcible resettlement, attacks on civilians, forcible detention and torture of the non-Serb population of Bosanska Krupa in the period from April to December 1992.
The Prosecution holds that Klickovic and Drljaca participated, as of the summer of 1991, in a joint criminal enterprise with the aim of creating a Serb municipality of Bosanska Krupa. The indictment alleges that Ostojic joined them in implementing the plan in July 1992.
“Gojko Klickovic signed five orders on appointment of town commanders, while both Rajko Klickovic and Dmitar Ciganovic signed one such order. They represent another example of the power and role of civilian authorities in the early phase, in April 1992,” Prosecutor Philip Alcock said.
Indictee Gojko Klickovic said that town commands actually represented local communities, as described in many laws, adding that the Prosecution “is not familiar with the former laws, which is the bad side of all this”.
According to Alcock, the role of the wartime Presidency and other civil authorities in the events that took place in 1992 was “direct” and strong.
“The letter written by the wartime Presidency in May 1992, pertaining to the dismissal from duty of soldier Dusko Vranjes, shows that it had a direct influence on army members. In addition, the Serbian Democratic Party, SDS, had strong and decisive control over the army, which can be proved by a letter written by the Krupana Uni municipal SDS Board in 1993,” Alcock said.
Gojko Klickovic said that these documents did not relate to “influence, but rather an obligation” as prescribed by the laws in force in the former Yugoslav countries at that time.
The indictment alleges that, for a certain period of time, Klickovic was president of the wartime Presidency of the Serb municipality of Bosanska Krupa, while Drljaca was a member of the Presidency.
The Prosecution introduced six military records pertaining to Momir Grubis, Mile Cazic, Mile Drljaca, Petar Senic, Zeljko Smoljanac and Zdravko Narancic, who are mentioned in the indictment as members of the military police in Krupa in 1992.
Drljaca’s Defence said that it would comment on the presented documents in its closing arguments.The trial is due to continue on Wednesday, January 14, 2009.
