Long-term Imprisonment for Predrag Prosic Proposed

“I propose that indictee Predrag Prosic, known as Peda, be pronounced guilty and sentenced to long-term imprisonment,” said Prosecutor Dzemila Begovic.

In her closing statement the Prosecution said that, according to Prosecution’s evidence, the shelling of Muhici and Mahala neighbourhoods in Sanski Most began on May 26 and lasted until the afternoon hours on the following day, when members of the Sixth Sana Brigade with the Republika Srpska Army, including Prosic, came to civilians’ houses and forced them to leave them. The civilians were then taken to detention centres.

Begovic said that, on that same day the indictee entered Hilmo Hegic’s house in Mahala and killed eight civilians, including a pregnant woman, by shooting them from his rifle. He then set the house on fire and left.

Vezira Vojnikovic is the only survivor of that crime. The Prosecutor said that the witness clearly remembered the event that had turned her life upside down. As mentioned by Begovic, the indictee opened an underground silo and took the civilians, who were peeping, out of it.

“He chose death,” Begovic said, adding that Vojnikovic said that Prosic had committed the crime.

“I was holding him on my hands. I heard a bullet penetrating through his body,” Begovic said, quoting the witness’ testimony at the trial.

She said that this witness told other persons too that Prosic had committed the murders in Hilmo Hegic’s house.

The Prosecutor then commented on the Defence’s allegations that Vojnikovic had not mentioned Prosic during the proceedings which were conducted against Mico Marceta after the war, for the murders committed in Hilmo Hegic’s house. As indicated in a decision rendered by the Bihac Cantonal Court in 1997, the Prosecution dropped the charges against Marceta.

Begovic said that, during that process Vojnikovic denied that Marceta had committed the murders.

“They did not ask her who had done that,” she said, adding that Vojnikovic was waiting for the right moment to say who the real perpetrator was.

The Prosecution alleges that it has proved that the indictee, who was accompanied by other soldiers, participated in taking three civilians away and killing them on May 27.

The Defence is due to present its closing statement on May 24.