Klickovic et al: Unforced departures

“Nothing was done ad hoc or forcibly. Both parties discussed the evacuations. There was no force or persecution. Those things happened for security reasons,” Gojko Klickovic said, presenting material evidence on “the evacuation” of Bosniaks from the Bosanska Krupa area.

The first indictee said that notes from meetings between the military structures and Arapusa residents and refugees from Krupa represented “key evidence”, because they prove that “the evacuations were needed and were not forcible”.

Klickovic, Mladen Drljaca and Jovan Ostojic are charged with crimes against humanity and war crimes against civilians and prisoners-of-war committed in the Bosanska Krupa area during 1992.

The State Prosecution claims that Bosniak civilians were forcibly resettled, “in line with a written order issued by Gojko Klickovic”, from Arapusa, Zalin, Potkalinje, Zaluge, Velika Jasenica, Veliki Dubovik and Krupa town to the Sanski most and Bihac areas in May 1992.

Indictee Klickovic included in the case file a list of 460 Arapusa residents who were “evacuated” to Sanski most, as well as a number of orders issued by senior military structures and studies made by various authors on command responsibility, crimes against humanity and so on.

He explained at this hearing that he “did not refuse to appear” at the hearings on February 17 and 23, 2010 “because of the custody extension decision”, but he did not specify what the reason was. The public was not informed about the details of Klickovic’s motion pertaining to the Trial Chamber’s decision dated February 10, 2010, extending his custody for two more months or the motion requesting dismissal of his ex-officio attorneys.

Klickovic has been in custody since June 2007. The two other indictees are defending themselves while at liberty.

The trial is due to continue on March 9, 2010.