Witness Requests Attorney
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Ostojic is charged with crimes committed in the Susica detention camp in Vlasenica.
The protected witness, who was due to be testify from abroad via video link, said that he did not want to respond to questions because he did not have an attorney.
“If you provide me with an attorney in the meantime and if the indictee’s defence attorney provides him with some materials, we can cooperate,” the protected witness said.
The Trial Chamber of the District Court in Eastern Sarajevo decided to appoint a legal counselor to the witness.
“I am requesting the Court to make sure that the documents that I will speak about are not available to the public. All these things will have to be clarified so that I know that my interests will be protected. I will need an attorney for that,” the witness said.
The defence of indictee Ostojic said that it did not intend to use any documents but just wanted to provide the witness with the indictment and ask him a few questions.
The public could not hear the part of the hearing at which this witness was discussed because the defence and Trial Chamber did not turn their microphones on.
Ostojic, a former member of reserve police forces with the Special Unit of the Public Safety Station in Vlasenica, is charged with having participated in the beating of civilians in Susica detention camp in 1992.
According to the charges, Ostojic and other members of that formation took Bosniaks from the Susica detention camp and hit them with police batons, rifle butts, hands and feet.
The link with the protected witness was established in the premises of the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina because the District Court is not equipped for video conferencing.
The trial of Ostojic was formally restarted at this hearing because more than 30 days had passed since the previous hearing.
Mirza Hukeljic, a prosecutor with the District Prosecution in Eastern Sarajevo, and Dragan Gotovac, defence attorney for the indictee, said that they agreed that the witnesses who had already been examined should not be invited again, but their statements should be read in the courtroom instead.
The date for the next hearing will be set at a later stage.
