Prosecution Requests Custody for Saric

The prosecution of Bosnia and Herzegovina requested from the Court to remand in custody Goran Saric, charged with participating in the Srebrenica genocide. The defence claimed the conditions for custody haven’t been met.

The prosecutor, Ibro Bulic, requested custody because the defendant was a flight risk, and that he could influence witnesses and disturb the public order. He pointed out that Saric was sentenced on August 28 to 14 years of prison for war crime committed in Sarajevo.

Aleksandar Lazarevic, the defendant’s lawyer, said that Saric has known for 13 years there is an ongoing investigation regarding Srebrenica, and that “risk of flight in this case is not realistic.”

“He has no Serbian citizenship, so even if he crossed over to Serbia, he would be extradited and thus spoil his chance of defending himself as a free man. He has been living all these years at the same address, he has never shown he plans to change it,” explained Lazarevic.

The defence added that the conditions for the remand in custody have not been met and recommended to the court to “modify” current restrictive measures if it considered it should. The Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina would make a ruling at a later date.

Saric has been arrested on August 29 under suspicion that  as former commander of the Special Police Brigade with the Ministry of the Interior of Republika Srpska, he participated in the Srebrenica genocide.

According to the indictment, in July 1995 he was a commander of police units which participated in searches and the forced transfer of the Bosniak population from Srebrenica to Potocari, as well as separation of men and boys who were later executed. The prosecution alleged that Saric issued an order to policemen to watch over the Bratunac-Konjevic Polje road and capture several thousand Bosniaks.

The prosecutor Bulic said that if the defendant stayed outside he might influence witnesses and thus threaten the court procedure. The defence responded by saying there is not a single piece of evidence that Saric pressured any of the witnesses. “The earlier trial was never postponed because of me. I will always show up just the same, for as long as the trial lasts. I will not flee, I will not influence witnesses, just as I did not at the previous trial,” said Saric.

The prosecution added that if the defendant stayed free, it would disturb the citizens, especially victims.

“Saric was arrested a fortnight ago and released in the afternoon. That appeared as news in media. The arrest and release did not disturb public order,” said the lawyer.