Prohibiting Measures against Vasic, Zoljic and Pantic Proposed

Prosecutor Ibro Bulic requested the Court to order the following prohibiting measures against the three indictees: a ban on contacting and meeting certain individuals and witnesses, a ban on traveling and leaving their places of residence, confiscation of their travel documents, explaining that the indictees had citizenship of Serbia, and controlling the indictees by performing a daily check to see whether they were present at their places of residence.

Milos Peric, Defence attorney of indictee Vasic, said that the Prosecution of BiH had conducted the investigation against his client for ten years already and that his client had already appeared as witness at numerous trials and “responded to invitations by courts and prosecutions more than 20 times”. He said that Vasic had never tried to avoid responding to invitations by courts or other bodies.

He pointed out that Vasic was a citizen of BiH, a family man and a delegate at the National Assembly of Republika Srpska, so a ban on leaving his place of residence might jeopardise his family income, but that they were ready to hand over his travel documents to the Court of BiH.

“He wants this to be completed. He is responsible to his family and voters,” Peric said, adding that “the case has been followed through an excessive media campaign” since the filing of the indictment.

“It is in my interest for the Court to complete this agony for me and my family,” Vasic said, addressing the Court of BiH.

Attorney Nenad Rubez, who represents Danilo Zoljic, did not object to handing over the travel documents and a ban on leaving the country, but he did object to the other measures, saying that Zoljic “does not intend to flee, because he considers himself innocent”. Rubez said that the State Prosecution had not mentioned one single circumstance due to which Zoljic should be banned from contacting the witnesses, because “the witnesses are evidence”, adding that home detention could affect the preparation of defence.

“My client has been associated with the happenings related to Srebrenica for more than ten years. This indictment is the only way for him to get out of it,” Radivoje Lazarevic, Defence attorney of indictee Pantic, said, adding that there were no circumstances, indicating that the indictee might leave the country.

Vasic, Zoljic and Pantic are charged with having assisted in the forcible resettlement of the local population from Srebrenica, separation of men from their families, as well as the capture and execution of men and boys in the Bratunac, Srebrenica and Zvornik areas.

The indictment alleges that Vasic was Commander of the Police Forces Headquarters in Zvornik and Chief of the Public Safety Center in Zvornik, Zoljic was Commander of special units with the Public Safety Center in Zvornik, while Pantic was Commander of the First Company of special units with the Public Safety Centre in Zvornik.

The Court will render a decision concerning the motion at a later stage.