Vukovic and Tomic: Dutch Major May be Apprehended

30. November 2009.12:50
Robert Alexander Franken, former Commander of the Dutch Battalion stationed in Srebrenica in July 1995, failed to appear at the District Court in The Hague, where he was supposed to testify, via video link, at the trial against Radomir Vukovic and Zoran Tomic.

This post is also available in: Bosnian

A judge of the District Court in The Hague, said that witness Franken failed to appear before the Court, adding that he has not answered his phone since last week.

At the request of Prosecutor Ibro Bulic, the District Court in The Hague took it upon itself to try to establish contact with the witness and enable his examination, via video link, on December 3, 4 or 14 this year. The Court said , in case Franken still refused to testify, it may order his apprehension.

Vukovic and Tomic, former members of the Second Special Police Squad from Sekovici, are charged with the murder of more than 1,000 Bosniak civilians in Kravica Agricultural Cooperative. The indictment alleges that the two men participated on July 12 and 13, 1995 in capturing Bosniaks from Srebrenica and escorting them to Kravica, where they were shot in the early evening of July 13.

The trial began in December 2008.

The Prosecution of Bosnia and Herzegovina called on the District Court in The Hague to try to facilitate the examination, via video link, of former Dutch soldiers Thomas Karremans and Paul Groenwegen in the coming period.

“We do not have any problems with the dates for establishing the video link, but with bringing the witnesses. I promise we shall do whatever we can to ensure their presence,” the District Court in The Hague said.

The next hearing is due to take place on December 3 this year.

This post is also available in: Bosnian