Markovic: Prosecution Challenges Indictee’s Statement

State Prosecutor Bozidarka Dodik presented some documents in an attempt to refute certain parts of the indictee’s statement given at the hearing held on February 23, 2011.

At that hearing, Markovic said that he went to the injured party’s house in July 1992 as per an order issued by the Civil Police Command, which had received a report that “some gatherings were happening there”.

“Extracts from a book of daily events kept by the Police Station in Stanari from June to July 1992 refute these allegations. No gatherings or other events in Dragalovci were registered in the Stanari Police Station records,” Dodik said today.

Miodrag Markovic, former military policeman with the Republika Srpska Army, VRS, is charged with having dragged minor Z1 to a meadow in Dragalovci village, Doboj municipality in July 1992. He allegedly hit her with a revolver handle and raped her, while threatening her by saying that she must not tell anyone or else he would rape her again and kill her family.

Also at today’s hearing, the Prosecution presented a letter from the District Court in Banja Luka, confirming that a trial was conducted against Markovic during the war.

However, Prosecutor Dodik, explained that the trial was not related to the events for which the indictee in charged before the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

“Testifying in his own defence, Markovic said that he caused an incident at the Brigade Command premises because he was angry about a rape report which protected witness Z1 filed against him. He said he was detained after the incident. A verdict, passed down by the Supreme Court in Banja Luka in May 1994, confirms that a trial was conducted against Markovic, but not in relation to this event,” the Prosecutor said.

State Prosecutor Dodik said today that the indictment against Markovic would be further specified in the coming period in terms of certain dates.

At the next hearing, which is due to take place on April 4, the indictee’s Defence will examine its additional witnesses and present additional pieces of material evidence, and closing statements will be presented.

The trial of Miodrag Markovic began in September 2010.