Local Justice – Dautovic: Trial for Velika Kladusa Crimes Begins

The trial of Dautovic, former member of the Western Bosnia Autonomous Region, who is charged with crimes against civilians, began with examination of Prosecution witnesses Damir Cejvanovic, Mirsad Keserovic and Edin Hrnic.

Witnesses Cejvanovic, Keserovic and Hrnic said that, during the war they were members of a unit for guarding of buildings and persons, to which indictee Sakib Dautovic belonged as well. According to information available to them, Dautovic was not a commander, but an ordinary member of that Unit.

Damir Cejvanovic said that, while he was member of that Unit, he was tasked with guarding key buildings in Velika Kladusa, including, among others, the dispensary, reservoir and old town. Although they were members of the same unit, he said that he was never executed a task together with indictee Dautovic, adding that he first heard about the crimes charged upon him after the end of the war.

Edin Hrnic said that he knew Dautovic as member of his unit, but he had not heard anything about the crimes charged upon him. Witness Keserovic said that he thought that Dautovic was not a commander of the Unit.

The Una-Sana Cantonal Prosecution charges Dautovic, former Commander of the Squad for Guarding of Buildings with the Ministry of Defence and Military Police of the Western Bosnia Autonomous Region, with having taken 12 civilians from Drmaljevo detention camp to the Dispensary in Velika Kladusa, where they were subjected to severe physical abuse, on June 18, 1994.

Besides that, Dautovic is charged with having taken 15 prisoners from Drmaljevo detention camp in August 1994. One of them, Rasim Erdic, died after having been abused.

Dautovic was arrested in the Kingdom of Norway in April 2007. After having spent four years in an extradition detention unit, he was extradited to judicial bodies of Bosnia and Herzegovina in November last year. He has been held in the Penal and Correctional Facility in Bihac since.

Tatjana Savic, Defence attorney of the indictee, said that the Defence could still not provide details about the evidence it would present during the course of the trial.

The trial is due to continue on Wednesday, February 29.Dz.Dz.