Lazic: Prosecution’s Evidence Presentation Completed
This post is also available in: Bosnian
During this hearing State Prosecutor Maja Ilic-Stupar read parts of transcripts taken during the trial of Zoran Zivanovic, Zdravko Bozic, Zeljko Zaric and Mladen Blagojevic, as well as parts of a first and second instance verdicts pronounced against the four men.
In addition, the Prosecution of Bosnia and Herzegovina included, in the case file, a decision rendered by the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina, terminating protection measures for Lazic, who testified as a protected Prosecution witness at the trial of Zivanovic, Bozic, Zaric and Blagojevic.
Lazic is charged with having said in a statement given to State Investigation and Protection Agency, SIPA, investigators in a case related to war crimes in Bratunac municipality, that Z.Z. committed certain crimes, and said the same when giving a statement to the State Prosecution.
The indictment alleges that, during the course of the trial it was determined that Lazic gave a false statement, causing severe consequences for indictee Z.Z., who was released from custody and acquitted of the charges later on.
In February 2010 the Appellate Chamber of the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina pronounced a second instance verdict, acquitting Zoran Zivanovic, Zdravko Bozic and Zeljko Zaric of the charges that they committed war crimes in the Srebrenica area. Under the same verdict, Mladen Blagojevic was sentenced to seven years in prison. The four men were originally charged with having committed crimes in the “Vuk Karadzic” school in Bratunac in July 1995.
Prosecutor Ilic-Stupar read that, in 2006 Lazic told SIPA investigators that a military policeman told him that Zoran Zivanovic was killing people in the “Vuk Karadzic” school building in Bratunac, where Bosniaks from Srebrenica were held.
The Prosecutor said that, one year later, in October 2007 Lazic denied the mentioned statement. “I got scared and said something, although I was not sure about it. I did not see Zivanovic go inside the school building and shoot. I did not hear that either,” Lazic said at the time.
The trial is due to continue on April 5 this year, when indictee Bosko Lazic will testify in his defence.
