Trials of Bosniaks For Srebrenik Crimes Opens
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Ekren Ibracevic, Faruk Smajlovic and Sejdalija Covic are charged with crimes against Serbian civilians who were imprisoned in village of Rapatnica and at the football stadium, all in the area of the town of Srebrenik from the beginning of June until the end of August 1992.
According to the indictment, the prisoners were beaten, tortured and abused in various ways, while Ibracevic, who was overseeing the detention facilities, approved such behaviour.
The indictment further reads that after civilians were taken for interrogation, they were beaten and abused.
One of the prisoners were burned on his back with a soldering iron, one of the counts of the indictment says.
Covic is charged with repeatedly going to Rapatnica and beating civilians, either alone or with other people.
According to the indictment, Ibracevic was head of military security at the Srebrenik Territorial Defence Municipal Headquarters, Smajlovic was the military police platoon commander, and Covic a member of the military police.
Prosecutor Zorica Djurdjevic said in her opening statement that over 40 civilians were held in one of the buildings in Srebrenik area. She also said that the conditions were below the minimum standard and that the prosecution will prove that defendant Ibracevic was in position to change those condition, but did not do so.
“We will prove that Ibracevic knew those civilians were unlawfully detained. He missed the chance to inform judiciary that numbers of Serb civilians were in those buildings,” Djurdjevic said.
She also said the prosecution believes that Smajlovic did nothing to prevent the unauthorised entries of other people to one of the prisons in Rapatnica, while Covic, former member of the military police, participated in the abuse of civilians.
“You will hear moving stories of prisoners’ abuse, like pushing needles under fingernails or burning with soldering iron,” Djurdjevic predicted.
The defence attorneys did not present their opening statements.
The first prosecution witness will testify on December 2.
