Local Justice – Pudic: Not Guilty Plea

Pudic, former policeman with the Public Safety Station in Brcko and guard in Luka detention camp, pleaded not guilty to all of the counts, charging him with war crimes against civilians in Brcko municipality.

Under the indictment, which contains six counts, Pudic is charged with having committed torture, inhumane treatment, causing of suffering, injuries of bodily integrity and health of civilians and participated in the physical and mental abuse of detainees on a daily basis.

According to the charges, Pudic examined a civilian detainee in the courtyard of the Luka detention camp, holding a gun on his throat, and hit two detainees with a police stick, causing severe suffering of those people.

The indictment further alleges that, while bringing a civilian to the detention camp, Pudic hit him with a pistol handle on his neck. In addition, he beat another detained civilian with his legs on his body and with a police stick on his head during May and June 1992.

Considering the fact that the indictee is defending himself while at liberty, the Brcko District Prosecution asked the Court to order prohibiting measures, including the confiscation of his personal and travel documents and a ban on the issuance of new documents during the course of the trial.

The Defence of Prudic objected to the proposal, saying that the indictee had been in Brcko over the course of the past year and during the investigation, adding that he wanted to prove before the Court that he was not guilty.

The Court will render a decision concerning this motion at a later stage. It will then schedule a pre-trial status conference.M.A.