Bosnian Serb Ex-Soldiers Plead Not Guilty to Abusing Prisoners
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Defendant Petar Djuric outside court (on the right). Photo: BIRN
Bosko Peulic, Petar Duric and Davor Peulic told the Bosnian state court in Sarajevo on Thursday that they are not guilty of committing war crimes against prisoners of war and against civilians in Travnik and Skender Vakuf (since renamed Knezevo).
Peulic is being tried in his capacity as the commander of the 122nd Light Infantry Brigade and later the 22nd Light Infantry Brigade of the Krajiski Corps of the Bosnian Serb Army, Djuric as the commander of a military police unit, and Peulic as the commander of the Communication Centre of the Bosnian Serb Army.
The prosecution alleges that Peulic knew about the murders of 13 prisoners of war – members of the Croatian Defence Council, the Bosnian Croat wartime force – on the Galic plateau on Mount Vlasic in the Travnik municipality, and failed to take measures to punish subordinates who committed the crime.
The defendants are all accused of participating in the illegal imprisonment and inhumane treatment of civilians and prisoners of war in an improvised detention facility in the basement of the PTT (postal, telegraph and telephone service) in Skender Vakuf.
A date for the start of the trial will be announced later.
