Week ahead: Preparation for Another Retrial

On Friday, January 30 a status conference is due to take place before the Appellate Chamber of the State Court in preparation for the retrial of Mirko (son of Spiro)Pekez and Milorad Savic, who are charged with crimes committed in Jajce.

A first-instance verdict was pronounced against Pekez and Savic, sentencing each of them to 21 years’ imprisonment for participation in capturing and shooting a group of civilians in Tisovac place, Jajce Municipality, in September1992.  By the same verdict Mirko (son of Mile) Pekez was found guilty and sentencedto 29 years’ imprisonment. The Appellate Chamber confirmed this decision.

At the Appelate Chamber’s session, scheduled for January 29, participants will consider first-instance verdict appeals in the case of Ivica Vrdoljak, a former member of the Croatian Defence Council, HVO, who was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment for crimes against Serb prisoners, committed in Derventa and Bosanski Brod.

On Wednesday, January 28 Radoje Lalovic and Soniboj Skiljevic are due to enter pleas to charges that they committed crimes in “Butmir” Correctional Facility in Kula between May 1992 and December 1995. One of them was director of the Facility, while the other was his deputy.

On January 27 the parties are due to start presenting closing arguments at the trial of Miodrag Nikacevic, a former policeman from Foca, who is charged with crimes committed in Foca. On Friday, January 30 the parties are due to continue presenting closing arguments at the trial of Marko Radic, Dragan Sunjic, Damir Brekalo and Mirko Vracevic, former HVO members, who are charged with crimes committed in Vojno,near Mostar.

The trial of Milorad Trbic, charged with genocide in Srebrenica, is due to continue on Monday, January 26, when a protected Prosecution witness will be examined before the Municipal Court in Zvornik, because of her poor state of health.

On the same day and also on January 29 the Prosecution of Bosnia and Herzegovina will present evidence at the trial of Predrag Bastah and Goran Viskovic, former members of the army and police, who are charged with crimes committed in Vlasenica.

On Monday, January 26 the trial is due to continue in the case of Vinko Kondic, Bosko Lukic and Marko Adamovic, who are charged with crimes committed in Kljuc. On the same day and then also on January 28 the trials are due to continue in the case of two former members of the Republika Srpska Army, VRS, and Military Police, Momir Savic, who is charged with crimes committed in Visegrad, and Rade Veselinovic,charged with the capture and murder of non-Serb residents of Hadzici.

New Defence witnesses are due to appear at the trial of Predrag Kujundzic on January27. Kujundzic is charged, as commander of the “Predini vukovi” (“Predo’s Wolves”)Unit, with having committed a large number of crimes in Doboj and the surrounding villages.

On that day and the following day the Prosecution is due to continue presenting evidence against Gojko Klickovic, Jovan Ostojic and Mladen Drljaca, who are charged with participation in crimes committed in Bosanska Krupa in 1992.On January 27 and 29 the trials are due to continue in the case of Ante Kovac, former commander of an HVO Military Police Squad, who is charged with the capture and detention of Bosniaks in the Vitez area, and Ratko Bundalo, Nedjo Zeljaja and Djordjislav Askraba, who are charged by the Prosecution with crimes committed in Kalinovik.

Presentation of evidence by the Defence at the trial of Krsto Savic and Milko Mucibabic, who are charged, as members of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Republika Srpska, with participation in crimes committed in eastern Herzegovina, is due to continue on January 28 and 29.