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Prosecutor Miroslav Janjic proposed that the public be excluded from the parts of the testimony referring to concrete actions mentioned in the indictment. The Defence teams acceded to the Prosecution’s proposal.
The Trial Chamber chaired by Jasmina Kosovic rendered a decision to partially exclude the public with the aim of protecting the personal and intimate life of the indictees.
Joka Goranovic, at whose request the protection measure, under which she was assigned the pseudonym of D-1, was annulled, said that she left her father’s house in Lipnik, Odzak municipality, on May 8, 1992, because the Croat military police told them that they should seek shelter in “grandma Stana’s” house.
As she said, on the following evening three soldiers banged at the house door.
“I recognized Martin Barukcic, who was married to my niece. At that time he had black short hair. He was short and skinny. Here he is, sitting in the second row,” the witness said, adding that he pointed a pistol at her.
She mentioned that Martin Barukcic, who threatened her with the pistol, and two other soldiers drove her by car from that house towards Odzak. As she said, they stopped in the vicinity of a house in the forest.
The public was excluded from this part of her testimony.
The Prosecution of Bosnia and Herzegovina, BiH, charges Marijan Brnjic, Martin Barukcic and Pavo and Ilija Glavas, former members of the 102nd Brigade of the Croatian Defence Council, HVO, with having raped, beaten, abused, humiliated and threatened Serb women.
The indictment charges them in five counts with having brought victims to house and other facilities in the Odzak area from various locations in the summer of 1992.
During the public part of her testimony Goranovic said that, prior to having been taken away, she saw Martin Barukcic, when she paid a visit to his wife Vesna, and also at a religious celebration at her sister’s.
When asked by the Prosecution of BiH why the witness previously said that it was Mato Barukcic, she said that it was absolutely a mistake.
The public was excluded from the parts of testimonies related to concrete actions from the indictment at the last hearing as well. At that hearing the decision was made as per a request by the Defence teams.
The trial is due to continue on December 2.
