The week ahead: Busy week for the war crimes chamber
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Four more prosecution witnesses will appear at the two hearings scheduled next week for the trial of Marko Samardzija.
On June 12 and 13 apart from the four new witnesses, six more who have already appeared before the trial chamber will additionally be questioned.
The exhibition of prosecution’s evidence against the former Bosnian Serb soldier charged with war crimes committed in Sanski Most has now entered the final phase.
As the defence council Zlatko Knezevic announced, the defence will commence with its evidence in mid-July.
Samardzija’s one-year detention, regulated by the law, runs out in mid-September. If the judgement is not handed within one year from the date of confirmation of the indictment, the accused is released.
Judge Zorica Gogala therefore said that this case will be given priority when scheduling the hearings.
The trial of Dragan Damjanovic, which started this week, will continue on Monday, June 12.
Dragan Damjanovic is held responsible for murders, torture, rape and other inhumane acts committed against Bosniak civilians in Vogosca area between July 1992 and January 1993.
Four new witnesses will testify against Damjanovic on Monday. The first two witnesses spoke about the conditions in the detention camps were Bosniaks were tortured and killed.
The genocide trial of the eleven former Bosnian Serb soldiers and policemen from eastern Bosnia will also continue next week.
The 11 are held responsible for the execution of 1000 Bosniak civilians in Kravica farm in July 1995 in the aftermath of the fall of Srebrenica enclave.
On June 13 and 14 new prosecution witnesses will testify in the trial.
This week former employees at the farm confirmed that the execution took place in Kravica on July 13 1995.
The trial of Boban Simsic, former Bosnian Serb policeman from Visegrad will continue on Monday June 12.
Last week the defence announced additional questioning of three witnesses and requested to hear the testimony of a Hague indictee Milan Vasiljevic via video link.
The prosecution will continue presenting evidence in the case against Nikola Kovacevic. On June 13 and 14, new witnesses will speak about the events that took place in the camps in Sanski Most during 1992.
Most of the witnesses until now identified the accused as one of the persons who unlawfully detained them and abused them in Betonirka and Manjaca camps.
