Jovan Popovic Trial Resumes on September 16

In December 2013, Popovic was initially charged with his son, Goran Popovic, with the unlawful arrest, murder and forced labour of Bosniak civilians in Visegrad.

Among other crimes, the initial indictment accused them of arresting four Bosniak civilians in Rodica Brdo and taking them to the Visegrad police station, where they were killed.

Jovan Popovic, a Bosnian Serb fighter who participated in attacks on the Bosniak population in Visegrad, allegedly held a Bosniak woman and her two children in slavery and forced them to labour for him in June 1992. The woman’s body was exhumed in Djurevica Polje in Visegrad on May 16, 2012. Her children have remained missing since.

Goran Popovic, a former guard at the Uzamnica detention camp, was accused of participating in the rape, torture and assault of detainees. He was acquitted under a first instance verdict handed down in April 2015.

In May 2014, the case against Jovan Popovic was separated due to his poor health. However, the Bosnian state court was recently informed that his health had improved and decided to go ahead with the trial proceedings.

“The defendant had his left leg amputated. Now he’s having trouble with his knee. He also had surgery on his right leg. He has troubles with his spine and prolonged sitting,” defense attorney Nenad Rubez said. Rubez said that despite his physical ailments, his client was mentally capable of following the trial.

Popovic addressed the trial chamber as well. He stated that although his health was “catastrophic,” he agreed to going forward with the trial.

Prosecutor Seid Marusic said he planned to invite 11 witnesses to testify at the trial, seven of whom were granted protection measures. Marusic said his witnesses would describe the widespread and systematic attack on the Bosniak population in Visegrad, the search of houses in Rodica Brdo by Bosnian Serb forces and the abduction of Bosniak civilians.