Lalovic: Not Qualified to Perform Function

“Lalovic was neither professionally nor mentally capable of performing the function of reserve policeman. He was unskilled for a job that required protecting detainees in the Miladin Radojevic school building, where he worked as security guard,” expert witness Mile Matijevic said.  
 
The Prosecution of Bosnia and Herzegovina charges Slavko Lalovic, known as Ustasa, a former member of the reserve police forces with the Public Safety Station in Kalinovik, with having allowed soldiers to enter the Miladin Radojevic school building, where he worked as a prison guard, and commit violence against unlawfully detained civilians.
 
The State Prosecution alleges that in August 1992, the indictee intimidated and terrorised civilians who were held in the school building. The indictment alleges that at the end of August 1992, Lalovic allowed two members of the Republika Srpska Army, VRS, to go inside the school building and rape a female detainee.
 
Responding to cross-examination questions by the Prosecution, expert witness Matijevic said that his findings and opinion were based on a statement given by the indictee, who said that he was forcibly recruited by reserve police forces at the beginning of the war and he was never trained for the job.
 
“As a reserve policeman and guard, the indictee was obliged to organise adequate protection of detainees. However, he did not do that, which means that he did not implement the measures prescribed by law,” expert witness Matijevic said.
 
Psychiatrist Zorica Lazarevic, who prepared findings and opinion about the health condition of the indictee, his brother and mother, at the request of the Defence, also testified on Friday.

She said that Lalovic did not suffer from a mental disease or epilepsy, like his mother and brother.  
 
“The indictee shows mild symptoms of anxiety-depression. He does not suffer from any mental disease. If he suffered from inherited epilepsy, he would have exhibited symptoms already considering his age,” Lazarevic said.
 
The Defence of the indictee objected to the findings of expert witness Lazarevic.

Ziko Krunic, Defence attorney for indictee Lalovic, said that the expert witness did not cooperate with the Defence, because she did not submit her findings and opinion to the Defence first, but rather to the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina. He asked the Court to order an additional examination of the indictee’s mental condition.  
 
“I object to the expert witness’ findings in full. I do not know why she made such findings. I am asking the Court to order a new examination of the indictee to be conducted by a physician from Sarajevo instead of Lazarevic,” Krunic said.
 
The Trial Chamber will render a decision about the Defence’s proposal at a later stage.

Prosecutor Munib Halilovic said that he wanted to include Lazarevic’s findings in the case file as Prosecution evidence. The Trial Chamber accepted the Prosecutor’s proposal.  
 
The trial is due to continue on May 12 this year.

A.S.