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The defense of Ermin Curtic asked Bosnia’s supreme court to acquit Curtic of charges of war crimes in Vares. The state prosecution asked the court to confirm the first instance verdict against Curtic, which sentenced him to five and a half years in prison.
Nedim Dobojlic, Curtic’s defense attorney, presented his appeal against a verdict handed down by the cantonal court of Sarajevo on November 7, 2013. Curtic had been found guilty of participating in an attack on the villages of Stupni Do and Vares Majdan. Acting as a guide to the Maturice Special Purposes Unit of the Croatian Defense Council, Curtic participated in the theft and inhumane treatment of civilians.
Dobojlic said he believed the first instance chamber didn’t properly respond to a warrant issued by the supreme court, and said it didn’t introduce any additional evidence.
“All the witnesses who appeared during the main trial were unlawfully examined, because the court first read their statements and then asked them if they agreed. This is against the law, which stipulates that they should’ve been examined first and then had their statements included in the file, in case of differences arising between their statements and their testimony,” Dobojlic said.
Dobojlic said only one witness in the main trial had said that his client was present at the location where his alleged crimes took place.
“With regards to a statement given by injured party Besim Paralangaj, whatever that witness said was untrue,” Dobojlic said. He said Curtic couldn’t have been in the villages of Stupdni Do and Vares Majdan at the same time.
Dobojlic also said that numerous witnesses for the defense had said that Curtic didn’t serve as a guide to Maturice Squad members. According to Dobojlic, only one of the defense witnesses said Curtic acted as their guide.
Dobojlic called on the court to either order a new trial or to quash the verdict and acquit Curtic of all charges.
Addressing the court, Curtic said he was innocent.
The prosecution asked the court to reject the defense’s appeal and confirm the initial verdict.
The court will render its verdict at a later stage.
Proceedings against Curtic have been ongoing since 1996. In October 2011, he was sentenced to five and a half years in prison. However, the verdict was quashed and a retrial held. The sentence was confirmed in 2013.
Curtic was held in custody for four months during 1996 and also from October 15, 2009 to May 9, 2012.
