Local Justice – Trivic et al: Verdict Due on December 13

Trivic, Vujasinovic and Kerezovic are on trial before the Court of Banja Luka.Biljana Jankovic, Prosecutor with the District Prosecution in Banja Luka, said in her closing arguments that the Prosecution had fully proved the allegations contained in the indictment, adding she expected the Court to sentence the indictees.The Defence of indictee Trivic said it would not present its closing arguments because “the trial has not been fair”, while the Defence of Vujasinovic and Kerezovic called on the Court to pronounce verdicts of release for their clients.“My client has not had a fair trial before this Court and Trial Chamber Chairwoman Olga Malesevic. We will therefore not present our closing arguments,” said Simo Tosic, Trivic’s Defence attorney.Miladin Trivic and Miroljub Vujasinovic are charged with having robbed Stjepan Pisaric, acting jointly with Goran Popovic, on January 1, 1993. Among other things, the Prosecution charges Vujasinovic with having participated in the murder of Razija and Alija Hadzic in Vrbanja, Banja Luka.The indictment alleges that Kerezovic participated, together with a Sinisa Milojcic and indictee Trivic, in robbing a few Muslim families in Vrbanja area.In mid September 2010 the District Court in Banja Luka separated the case against Goran Popovic and Vinko Tesanovic from the case against indictees Trivic, Vujasinovic and Kerezovic.Gojko Vukotic, Defence attorney for Vujasinovic, said his client did not participate in the crimes for which he is charged.“None of the witnesses said that Vujasinovic was present in Vrbanja at that time. One of the key witnesses said: ‘Vujasinovic was not there. Nobody even mentioned him’,” Vukotic said, adding his client and Trivic were in conflict at the time and they did not speak to each other.Mirko Dabic, Defence attorney for Kerezovic, said his client did not participate in the murders, adding the Prosecution had not presented a single piece of evidence linking him to the crime.“Kerezovic was wounded on his right arm in mid 1992. He was not able to use the arm for a rather long period of time. As explained by the expert witnesses, he was not able to perform physical labour at the time when the murders were committed, so he was not able to use a rifle either,” Dabic said.At this hearing Fatima Mujasinovic testified in defence of the second indictee. She said she witnessed the murder of Hadzic and his wife, but she did not know who had shot them.“Alija went to the door when someone knocked. She screamed and told them not to come in, as her children were in the house. A burst of bullets was then fired, killing her on the doorstep and killing Razija, who was standing at the kitchen door,” Mujasinovic said.G.O.———————————————————————————————————-
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