Expert Examination of Bunoza Requested, Defense Calls for Separation of Case

Mirko Bunoza, Edhem Godinjak and Medaris Saric have been charged with war crimes in the Trnovo area. The state prosecution alleges they participated in a joint criminal enterprise aimed at killing and detaining Serbs in villages in the vicinity of Trnovo.

According to the charges, at the time Godinjak was the head of the public safety station in Trnovo, Saric was the commander of the Territorial Defense Headquarters and Bunoza was a commander of Croatian Defense Forces units.

At today’s hearing, trial chamber chair Mediha Pasic said the chamber had received a motion submitted by Bunoza’s defense on his ability to stand trial. The motion included medical documentation indicating that Bunoza had suffered an epileptic seizure.

Pasic said the chamber hadn’t received medical verification confirming that Bunoza had an epileptic seizure. She said the documentation submitted to the court had been prepared in 2008.

“On the basis of this we can say the defendant is avoiding the court’s invitation [to testify],” Pasic said. She said Bunoza would be apprehended by court police if he failed to appear at further hearings.

The state prosecution agreed with Pasic’s statement. The defense said Pasic’s statement provided grounds for exempting members of the trial chamber, whom they described as prejudiced. Defense attorney Midhat Koco said Bunoza had attended the trial completely exhausted on several occasions.

Godinjak and Saric’s defense attorneys proposed that the proceedings against Bunoza be separated from those of their clients. They said their clients had the right to a speedy trial and that the state prosecution’s evidence alone required two more years of trial proceedings.

Edina Residovic, Godinja’s defense attorney, said she would support Bunoza’s medical examination, but only as a separate case.

Following a short break, the chamber decided that a court expert in neuropsychiatry would examine Bunoza. After the expert presents their findings and opinion, the trial chamber will decide whether to separate the case.

The trial will continue on December 15.