Mujcinovic and Hrustic: Non Appearance of a Key Witness
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Davorin Jukic, the presiding Judge of the Trial Chamber, explained that the practice of the Chamber is that the key witnesses are examined at the same hearing. Although the Prosecution witness Pero Djukic responded to the call of the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Chamber decided to examine him along with his brother, Drago Djukic, at the next hearing.
Drago did not receive a call, and therefore he did not come. He told me that without a call he would not go, Pero Djukic said.
The Djukic brothers should testify at the trial of Zurahid Mujcinovic and Sulejman Hrustic, former members of the 21st Mountain Brigade of the ?Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina (ABiH), who are charged by the Prosecution of Bosnia and Herzegovina of crimes against unlawfully detained civilians of Serbian ethnicity at the Youth Centre building in village Rapatnica in 1992.
The Prosecution of Bosnia and Herzegovina considers that Mujcinovic repeatedly physically and mentally abused one prisoner, while together with Hrustic, he participated several times in the mistreatment of one prisoner, causing him great suffering.
Prosecutor Adnan Gulamovic said that he believes that witness Pero Djukic could be examined at this hearing, and that it may happen that the witness fails to appear at the Court next time.
I believe that there is no legal ground that we do not examine this witness. If there is a need for their re-hearing or confrontation, witnesses may be called again, said Gulamovic.
However, the Defence teams of the indictees said that they support the Councils standpoint that witnesses should be examined at the same hearing.
Once we were convinced that witness Pero Djukic could come again to Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina, we have remained with the standpoint that witnesses should be examined on the same day, explained Judge Jukic.
The examination of witnesses Pero and Drago Djukic is scheduled for January 18, 2012. S.U.
