Retrial of Savo Babic Begins

After the parties had agreed that there was no need to read the indictment and Prosecutor Predrag Tomic said that he stuck to his previously presented introductory statement, the first testimony from the first instance trial was heard. This was the testimony by Marko Deoric, who said that he was Babic’s Deputy in military police in Bratunac.

The retrial is being held, because, in September this year the Appellate Chamber of the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina quashed a first instance verdict, under which Babic was acquitted of charges for crimes in the “Vuk Karadzic” school in Bratunac, where non-Serb civilians were held.

The Prosecution charges Babic, former Commander of military police of the Republika Srpska Army, VRS, in Bratunac, with having participated in the detention and torture of those civilians.

According to the charges, Babic had an effective control over the guards in the “Vuk Karadzic” school building, where more than 400 non-Serb civilians were detained. The indictment alleges that the detainees were abused every day and that several tens of them were killed or died due to bad conditions in the school building.

The hearing of the next testimony is scheduled for November 27.