Kozina: Accused Fails to Appear

Kozina’s attorney, Ismet Mehic, said that his failure to appear amounts to a plea of not guilty. “He certainly received the summons to appear before the court at the address on the indictment, but he will surely not attend the proceedings,” says Mehic.

Prosecutor Mirko Lecic recommended that the court issue a warrant for his arrest. “He has shown his unwillingness to comply with the court,” said Lecic. “I recommend that he be taken into custody.” The Court will announce its decision at a later stage.

The Prosecution of Bosnia and Herzegovina charges Marijan “Mario” Kozina, as a member of the Croatian Defence Council, HVO, with crimes committed against Bosniaks in the central Bosnian town of Vitez in June 1993.

The indictment alleges that Kozina, as a member of the Unit for Special Purposes “Knights of the Croatian Defence Council of Vitez”, participated in the murder of five civilians in the Klupe, near Vitez.

The Prosecution contends that Kozina, accompanied by two members of the “Vitezovi” unit of the HVO, forcibly removed three Bosniak civilians from their apartment, and confiscated their property.

The indictment says that “civilians were taken out of the apartment and driven by car to a place called Klupe, where they dragged them out and killed them with automatic weapon fire by the Lasva River.” It is alleged that the accused then returned and took the two Bosniak civilians who remained in the apartment to Klupe and killed them as well.

Kozina, who lives in Croatia, was identified thanks to cooperation with international authorities.

Kozina’s indictment was confirmed in December 2010.

V.H.