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State Prosecutor Behaija Krnjic said that, if released to liberty, the indictee might influence the witnesses, who “are the key element of evidence” in the process of proving guilt.
“There is a grounded suspicion that the indictee committed the crimes for which he is charged. There is a serious risk that he might try to reduce his responsibility by influencing witnesses. I think that there are no grounds for releasing him from custody until the Prosecution has presented its evidence,” Krnjic said.
Izet Bazdarevic, Defence attorney for the indictee, said that there are no grounds for ordering his client into custody, because the Prosecutor had not presented a single piece of evidence showing that Baricanin had influenced witnesses. The Defence attorney asked the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina to release the indictee to liberty under prohibiting measures.
The Prosecution of Bosnia and Herzegovina charges Baricanin, who allegedly acted in collaboration with Veselin Vlahovic, with having treated forcibly detained civilians in Grbavica in an inhumane manner in July 1992, by causing them physical and mental suffering and robbing them. The indictment alleges that they forcibly took three civilians and killed them at an unknown location.
The prosecution alleges that on several occasions Baricanin raped a female person whom he held in an apartment and enabled an unidentified person to rape her.
The State Investigation and Protection Agency, SIPA arrested Baricanin in Pale at the beginning of February. He has been held in custody since then.
