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Prosecutor Behaija Krnjic said, during a status conference held prior to the beginning of the trial of Vujovic and Duka, that all four indictees were charged with crimes committed at the same location in the same period of time.
“The Prosecution intends to examine 41 witnesses at both trials. Those are the same witnesses, who will testify about the same facts. About ten of the witnesses live abroad. Hence, it would be cost-efficient to joinder the cases, so the witnesses would not be invited to appear twice,” Krnjic said.
The Prosecutor further mentioned that merging the cases made sense bearing in mind the functions performed by the indictees during 1992.
The State Prosecution alleges that Vujovic was Chief of the Public Safety Station, SJB, in Bileca, Duka was Commander of Police with the SJB in Bileca, while Kuljic and Ilic were policemen. They are charged with having participated in a joint criminal enterprise with the aim of persecuting the non-Serb population from Bileca from June to December 1992.
The Prosecution of Bosnia and Herzegovina charges Vujovic and Duka with having enabled and organized the detention of Bosniak and Croat civilians in the SJB building and Students’ Residence in Bileca, where they were held in inhumane conditions and subjected to murders, torture and abuse.
Kuljic and Ilic are charged with having persecuted the non-Serb population and participated in physical and mental abuse, torture and murder of Bosniaks and Croats.
Judge Minka Kreho, who is chairing the Chamber at the trial against Vujovic and Duka, requested the Prosecution of Bosnia and Herzegovina to explain the circumstances about which it would examine the witnesses, adding that not all of the witnesses could testify about the existence of a widespread and systematic attack.
Kreho said that a new status conference would be scheduled and that the Court of BiH would decide whether to merge the cases or not only after Kuljic and Ilic had entered their pleas.
The next hearing is scheduled for May 16.
