Karajic: Evidential procedure finalized, closing arguments to be presented

16. October 2011.15:00
Finalising today’s hearing in the retrial of Suljo "Hodza" Karajic, the appellate chamber declared the evidential procedure finished and closing arguments set for October 31. The defence of indictee Suljo Karajic wished to admit an article from the newspaper Slobodna Kladusa from 1995.

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According to the defence, the article contains information about the character and personality of the indictee.

The chamber accepted to admit the article with the reasoning that “the information can relate to facts important to the sentence”.

Suljo “Hodza” Karajic, former Commander of the Second Military Police Squad of the 505th Knights Motorized Brigade with the Fifth Corps of the Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina, is accused of having committed war crimes against prisoners of war in the Bihac-area of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

He is accused of having committed three murders of which he has admitted one. In the first instance verdict, the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina sentenced him with 18 years in prison.

The decision was appealed by the prosecution due to substantive violations of the criminal proceedings provisions and wrongly and incompletely determined facts.

While prosecution called for a more severe sentence, the defence requested a more lenient sentence for the indictee.

Vesna Ilic, representing the state prosecution of Bosnia and Herzegovina, will present the closing arguments of the prosecution on October 31 whereafter a date will be set for the defence to present its closing arguments.

This post is also available in: Bosnian