Kuvelja: Guilt Admission Negotiations Underway

“The Prosecutor and Defence are trying to agree on conditions for the admission of guilt. (…) If we do not conclude an agreement, the Prosecution will need up to 15 days for presentation of its evidence,” said State Prosecutor Ibro Bulic.

Bulic explained that the Prosecution of Bosnia and Herzegovina would need two hours for examination of each of the 14 proposed witnesses, adding that it would need an additional six hours for presentation of more than 100 pieces of material evidence.

As it is uncertain when or whether the Prosecution and indictee Kuvelja will reach a plea deal, the Trial Chamber has decided that the trial will begin on Monday, May 9 with the reading of the indictment and presentation of introductory arguments.

Bozidar Kuvelja, former member of the Second Squad with the First Company of the Jahorina Training Centre with the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Republika Srpska, MUP RS, is charged with participating in the shooting of more than 1,000 men in and around the Kravica Agricultural Cooperative, Bratunac municipality in July 1995.

The indictment alleges that in the evening hours on July 13, 1995, Kuvelja participated, in collaboration with other members of the Training Centre, in the shooting of about 1,000 Bosniak men by “verifying” that each of the prisoners was dead by shooting at them with an automatic gun.

In addition, the Prosecution charges him with having participated in the shooting of about 100 Bosniak men in front of the warehouse in Kravica. Those men were allegedly “tricked by being invited to come out in order to get medical assistance” after the shooting.

The State Prosecution alleges that on July 12, 1995, Kuvelja participated in the search of villages in the broad area of Potocari with the aim of bringing Bosniaks to the “Potocari collection center”, and the separation of men and taking them to “Bijela kuca”, where they were detained and mistreated.

The State Investigation and Protection Agency, SIPA, arrested Kuvelja on January 18, 2011. He has been held in custody since. At a custody hearing on January 19, Prosecutor Bulic said that Kuvelja “had partially admitted guilt”.

“While he was giving his statement to the Prosecution of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the suspect gave a partial admission. He said that he was present when the mass executions took place and played an active role in the crime. He said that, acting on an order given by a squad commander, he shot at a group of prisoners from a machine gun,” Bulic said at the time.

Kuvelja appeared before the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina at the beginning of April 2011 and pleaded not guilty to the charges.

A.M.A.