Appeals against Albina Terzic Verdict Presented
The Prosecution of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Defence present their appeals before the Appellate Chamber, expressing their dissatisfaction with a first instance verdict, under which the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina sentenced Albina Terzic to five years in prison.
This post is also available in: Bosnian
The Prosecution of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Defence present their appeals before the Appellate
Chamber, expressing their dissatisfaction with a first instance verdict, under which the Court of Bosnia
and Herzegovina sentenced Albina Terzic to five years in prison.
The State Prosecution finds the duration of the imprisonment sentence unacceptable. Prosecutor Seid
Marusic requested the Court to sentence Terzic to more than five years in prison.
“The sentence does not give satisfaction to victims,” Marusic said.
On the other hand, Defence attorney Tomislav Ljubic requested the Court to pronounce a verdict of
release instead of the verdict of conviction due to an alibi, or order a new trial.
According to the verdict pronounced in October 2012, Terzic, former member of the Croatian Defence
Council, HVO, treated Serb prisoners, who were held in the school building and “Strolit” Factory in
Odzak, in an inhumane manner from May to July 1992.
She was pronounced guilty of having hit prisoners on their necks, shoulders and heads with a baton,
slapped them, encouraged a dog to attack them, tortured, abused, humiliated and insulted them in
various ways.
The Prosecutor said that the first instance Chamber explained that the facts that Terzic was young when
she committed the crimes, that she had not been sentenced before and that her actions were not grave
were considered mitigating circumstances.
The Prosecution of Bosnia and Herzegovina disagreed with the Chamber’s explanation. Marusic said
that victims “will have to deal with the trauma forever.”
Defence attorney Ljubic considers that the first instance Chamber made a generalised evaluation of the
evidence offering an alibi for the indictee. The Defence said during the main trial that Terzic was in
Kutjevo, Croatia, which is about 70 kilometres away from Odzak, during the period covered by the
indictment.
“The Defence presented several pieces of evidence, confirming the alibi,” the Defence attorney said.
Terzic was acquitted of the charges that, acting in collaboration with other HVO members, she forced
prisoner AB-2 to have sexual intercourse with a mentally ill female prisoner in the school building in
Odzak.
Following the presentation of the appeals, the Appellate Chamber will render its decision at a later stage.
