Bosnia Retries Serb Ex-Policeman for Ordering Burning of Homes
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Milovanovic was initially found not guilty in February this year of going to the village of Resagici on May 8, 1992, accompanied by a group of members of military, paramilitary and police formations, participating in an attack, and giving an order to burn houses which women and children were forced to leave.
The retrial concluded in a single hearing on Thursday.
The indictment was read out, and when Milovanovic was asked if he understood it, he responded that he understood the charges but “there is not the first letter of the truth [in them]”.
The prosecution and the defence suggested the testimony of some witnesses could be repeated and other witnesses called who the court rejected during the first-instance proceedings.
But the appeals chamber rejected their calls for new witnesses to be heard.
“In relation to the proposed witnesses, the [judging] panel finds that is unnecessary to call them, as the circumstances are sufficiently clarified in other statements. They are irrelevant to this case and would delay the proceedings unnecessarily,” said presiding judge Senadin Begtasevic.
After the defence and prosecution said they did not want to change the closing arguments they made at the original trial, the appeals chamber scheduled the verdict for November 15.
