Koricanske stijene: Gordan Djuric Admits Guilt

Gordan Djuric, one of the persons charged with a crime against humanity committed at Koricanske stijene, has admitted guilt and agreed to testify against the six other indictees, who are charged with shooting about 200 civilians on August 21, 1992.

Djuric will give his statement at a hearing scheduled for July 7. After that, the Trial Chamber will decide whether to accept the guilt admission agreement.

“I plead guilty,” the indictee said at this hearing.

On June 26 this year Djuric concluded a guilt admission agreement with the Prosecution of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

By this agreement, he undertook to give “a statement, and express regret” and testify “about all the events that took place in Prijedor”. He also undertook to cover his trial expenses and compensation arising from legal property claims.

The same agreement indicates a likely sentence of between five and eight years.

As previously announced by the Prosecution, “it has been determined that the indictee did not take part in the shooting and execution of the victims, but when the crme was committed he guarded the location where it was committed”.

Djuric was originally charged under the same indictment as Zoran Babic, Milorad Radakovic, Milorad Skrbic, Ljubisa Cetic, Dusan Jankovic and Zeljko Stojnic.

Following the conclusion of this agreement, the case will be separated from the case against the six former members of the Public Safety Station in Prijedor and Emergency Interventions Police Squad.

Damir Ivankovic, who was sentenced to 14 years’ imprisonment after having concluded a guilt admission agreement, was originally charged under the same indictment.

At this hearing the Prosecution introduced 131 pieces of material evidence supporting allegations that Djuric participated in the crime committed at Koricanske stijene.

Among the evidence were postmortem extracts pertaining to more than 40 victims, DNA reports, notes and photographs made during the course of exhumation of remains at Koricanske stijene, and drawings made at the crime scene.

The Prosecution also introduced a number of letters, activity reports and lists of members of the Public Safety Station and Police Station in Prijedor compiled in 1992.