Bastah et al: Indictees Wish to Give Statements
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“Our client filed this motion in his name. The Defence did not file it, because we consider it is in his interest to testify. However, if it is not possible to ensure his testifying at the trial, we propose that the Court give Viskovic an opportunity to give a statement to the Prosecution, but not as part of this trial, because he wants to tell the truth about the events in Vlasenica,” Rade Golic, Defence attorney of indictee Viskovic, said.
The Defence of Predrag Bastah also requested that its client to be allowed to give a statement to theState Prosecution.
“We are now asking you to let him give a statement. Irrespective of the other pieces of evidence, we would like to confirm with that statement that Bastah was not able to act on his own or without orders,” Milorad Potparic, Bastah’s Defence attorney explained.
The Trial Chamber explained that, as per the provisions of the Law on Criminal Proceedings of Bosnia and Herzegovina, “it is not possible to reopen an evidence presentation process once it has been concluded”. It therefore allowed the two indictees to give a statement before the Prosecution, also announcing that the Prosecution’s closing arguments would be postponed until December 14.
The Defence teams will present their closing arguments on December 17 and 21 this year.
Viskovic, a former member of the Republika Srpska Army, and Predrag Bastah, a former reserve policeman with the Public Safety Station in Vlasenica, are charged with a number of crimes committed against the non-Serb population in Vlasenica.
The Prosecution considers that Bastah and Viskovic participated in arrests, mistreatment, rape and murder of non-Serbs in Vlasenica.
Prosecutor Sanja Jukic did not object to the Defence’s proposals.
